A comparative study of the muscle strength and mass of the arm flexors and extensors in paraplegic and in non paraplegic basketball players.
OBJECTIVE
to study the changes in the strength of the elbow flexors and extensors in paraplegic subjects, and the agonist/antagonist mass and strength ratio in paraplegic wheelchair users.


METHODS
10 paraplegic wheelchair basketball players were compared with 10 healthy basketball players. The 20 subjects underwent a clinical and dynamometric isokinetic assessment, and a CT scan measurement of the muscle cross-sectional surface area of the flexor and extensor muscles of the elbows.


RESULTS
there was an increase in muscle strength in paraplegic subjects. There was no significant difference in the agonist/antagonist ratio between the dominant and non dominant upper limb in paraplegics whereas such a difference was found in healthy subjects. The muscle mass was increased in the paraplegics, but a correlation between muscle mass and strength was only found in the healthy subjects.
Calmels
P
P
Service de Rééducation et Réadaptation Fonctionnelles, Hospital Bellevue C.h.u de Saint-Etienne, France.
Berthouze
S
S
Barral
F G
FG
Domenach
M
M
Minaire
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D001490:Basketball; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D009929:Organ Size / Q000502:physiology; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed