Laura Peris Bernal
Premi Rafael Battestini
Medicina, Ciències de la Salut i de la Vida
The muscle strength of the knee in women: objective assessment of the quadriceps and hamstrings
RESUM
Of the various pathologies that can appear during the aging process, one is knee arthrosis, a significant cause of pain and disability in adults. It has a high prevalence, especially after the age of 50, and is more frequent in women. The onset and progress of knee arthrosis is associated with muscle atrophy and secondary inactivity, which decreases the physical condition of individuals with this pathology. Muscle strength and mass vary with age and, after 30, there is a progressive decrease.
The muscles involved in the knee are the quadriceps and hamstrings. The quadriceps are very powerful, being three times stronger than the hamstrings. Consequently, the stability of the knee depends on the balance between these two muscle groups. Therefore, if reference values could be obtained regarding muscle strength, the balance between the musculature surrounding the knee, the objective evolution of strength with age, and any differences in strength in the lower limbs in a healthy population, it would be possible to develop exercise programmes to strengthen these muscle groups and thus increase knee stability and prevent or delay as much as possible the onset of osteoarthritis.
For this reason, we propose an observational study in a healthy female population aged between 20 and 50 years with the aim of objectively observing quadricep and hamstring strength. The study will use an isokinetic dynamometer to determine different parameters such as peak torque, total work and average power. On the basis of the findings of previous studies, we expect to observe a decrease in strength with age. We will therefore design an exercise program to prevent the loss of strength and the effects of knee osteoarthritis.
MATERIALS
