Determination of Muscle Strength in Parkinsonian Patients Through the Use of an Isokinetic Dynamometer (CybexPD001)

Ospedale Generale Di Zona Moriggia-Pelascini

Status: Completed

Conditions: Parkinson's Disease

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02101528

CybexPD001 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Decreased muscle strength has been reported to be a factor contributing to increased incidences of falling in the elderly patients causing fractures, joint dislocations, severe soft tissue lesions and head trauma. Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients often complain of weakness and it has been reported that they have reduced muscle strength, decreased rate of force development, impaired ability to maintain constant force, and increased muscle coactivation during balance perturbation tasks. The specific cause of this weakness is not known, and in this study the investigators have analyzed and measured isokinetic muscle strength in PD patients to clarify this issue. The investigators have compared the data obtained with those of age-matched controls.

Full description

An isokinetic muscle action is defined by its performance at a constant speed or velocity. The laboratory measurements of isokinetic strength provides torque measurements throughout the active range of motion during a maximal effort. Torque is the force rotating about an axis and is produced and recorded from the angular motion. Consequently, the peak torque is an index of the muscular strength. Isokinetic testing was introduced as a quantitative measurement of both statistic and dynamic muscular contraction in which all variables involved (resistance, limb velocity, joint position) are under control. This is because isokinetic muscle testing allows objective, valid, and reliable measurement of the force produced by skeletal muscle during exercise at constant velocity and accommodating resistance and it is appropriate for measuring muscle strength and muscle endurance across the disability spectrum.

Decreased muscle strength has been reported to be a factor contributing to increased incidences of falling in the elderly patients causing fractures, joint dislocations, severe soft tissue lesions and head trauma. Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients often complain of weakness and it has been reported that they have reduced muscle strength, decreased rate of force development, impaired ability to maintain constant force, and increased muscle coactivation during balance perturbation tasks. The specific cause of this weakness is not known, and in this study the investigators have analyzed and measured isokinetic muscle strength in PD patients to clarify this issue. the investigators have compared the data obtained with those of age-matched controls.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 55 to 79 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• PD in stage 2-3 of Hoen&Yahr according to the United Kingdom Brain Bank criteria.

Exclusion criteria

• Atypical parkinsonisms
• PD patients with relevant orthopedic
• Rheumatic and muscular conditions

Trial design

40 participants in 2 patient groups

PD Patients

Description:

PD patients with a diagnosis of "clinically probable" idiopathic PD in Hoehn-Yahr stage 2-3, with the ability to walk without any assistance, with mini-mental state examination score ≥26, without any relevant comorbidity or vestibular/visual dysfunctions limiting locomotion or balance.

Controls

Description:

age and sex matched healthy volunteers