title: Leg-extension strength and chair-rise performance in elderly women with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: The lower extremity performance in elderly female patients with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease (PD; n = 12) and controls (n = 16) was compared. Isometric dynamometry and force-plate measurements were used. PD patients had lower (p < .05) bilateral (BL) maximal isometric leg-extension force (MF), BL isometric MF relative to body mass, and maximal rate of isometric force development than control participants. BL strength deficit was greater (p < .05) in PD patients than in controls. A significantly longer chair-rise time and lower maximal rate of vertical-ground-reaction-force development while rising from a chair was found in PD patients than in controls. These findings suggest that elderly women with PD have lowered voluntary isometric force-generation capacity of the leg-extensor muscles. Reduced BL leg-extension strength might contribute to the difficulty of individuals with PD to rise from a chair.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Exercise Biology and Physiotherapy, University of Tartu, 51014 Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Mati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pääsuke
authors.forename: Jaan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ereline
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gapeyeva
authors.forename: Kadri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Joost
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mõttus
authors.forename: Pille
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taba
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008019:Life Style; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis