Isokinetic testing of muscle strength of older individuals with sarcopenia or frailty: A systematic review
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is a component of frailty, which is a common geriatric syndrome for which the quantification of muscle strength is important. OBJECTIVE: Describe studies that have used isokinetic testing for detecting sarcopenia and determine whether there is an isokinetic strength level that can best detect sarcopenia.
METHODS: A systematic review was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Our literature search involved the following key words: (isokinet*) AND ((sarcopenia) OR (frailty) OR (muscle weakness).
Sarcopenia reference values for isokinetic knee flexion and extension at 60 degrees/s were determined using summary data from relevant articles. RESULTS: A total of 19 studies that were relevant and lacked major methodological flaws were included.
Most measured peak torque of the knee extensors and/or flexors. The measurements were found to be valid and responsive.
The net moment weighted averages for knee extension torques were 83 +/- 3 Nm for males and 60 +/- 7 Nm for females in sarcopenia population. For knee flexion, the weighted averages for knee extension torque were 47 +/- 6 Nm for males and 36 +/- 5 Nm for females in sarcopenia population.
All weighted averages were significantly lower than the reference values for the healthy population aged 60-70 (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The isokinetic strength values reported herein can be used to identify sarcopenia in older men and women.