Suppliers
- a
Biodex Medical Systems, Inc, 20 Ramsay Rd, Shirley, NY 11967-4704.
- b
SPSS Inc, 233 S Wacker Dr, 11th Fl, Chicago, IL 60606.
Twenty-seven postmenopausal women with osteopenia who were already attending an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) (www.clinicaltrials.gov; reference number NCT01357278) were included. The inclusion criteria were osteopenia defined from a proven low BMD (T score <–1.5).24 BMD was measured by means of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).25, 26 To establish the level of physical activity, we used the self-reported form Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE),27, 28 with a range
The subjects included in the study had a mean age ± SD of 68.2±7.3 years and were all residents in the Oslo region in Norway. All 27 subjects completed tests 1 and 2, but 1 subject got sick and was restricted from participating in test 3. For the 26 subjects completing all 3 tests, the interval between test day 1 and test day 2 was 7 days, except for 1 subject who showed up 1 day early, and therefore had 6 days between test days 1 and 2. DXA testing was performed a mean ± SD of 10.6±2.3 days
To our knowledge, this is the first study to address the inter- and intrarater reliability of isokinetic dynamometry during knee extension and flexion in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. The main finding of this study is that the levels of agreement across both the 2 different raters and the different times are high, with ICC levels comparable to those of previous reliability studies concerning both healthy adults and adults with different health conditions.5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16, 17,
Isokinetic assessments of thigh muscle strength in postmenopausal women with osteopenia are of high reliability, with a level of agreement comparable to the levels found in previous reliability studies concerning the elderly population.
Biodex Medical Systems, Inc, 20 Ramsay Rd, Shirley, NY 11967-4704. SPSS Inc, 233 S Wacker Dr, 11th Fl, Chicago, IL 60606.Suppliers
The protocol includes testing of representative muscle groups for upper (shoulder rotators) and lower extremities (knee extensors and flexors). Reliability and validity of isokinetic dynamometer machines have been reported in several studies, with coefficients of variation below 10% [34–36]. Endurance performance (VO2peak) is measured on a bicycle ergometer (Ergostik, Geratherm Respiratory GmbH, Bad Kissingen, Germany) by performing a symptom-limited test with a step protocol (starting at 50 watt with steps of 25 watt every 2 min).
The authors acknowledge the Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine Clinic Hjelp24NIMI, Oslo, Norway (www.hjelp24.no) for supporting the Norwegian Research Center for Active Rehabilitation (www.active-rehab.no) with rehabilitation facilities and research staff.
Supported by a grant from the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (grant no. 2009056).
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.