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There is no bilateral deficit of torque and rate of torque development of knee extensors during isometric exertion when measured by two independent isokinetic machines

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Abstract

Purpose

This study measured bilateral deficit (BD) of torque and rate of torque development (RTD) of knee extensors during isometric and concentric tests performed on two isokinetic machines, one for each leg.

Methods

36 volunteers performed concentric (60°/s) and isometric repetitions, unilaterally and bilaterally. The BD was measured as BD index (BDI), calculated from the peak torque of concentric, and from the mean torque of the 0.5–2.0 s window of isometric. For isometric, RTD was measured over 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 ms, and for concentric, as the maximal value of the derivate function of torque signal (mRTD).

Results

The isometric BDI values were evenly distributed about zero and not significantly different from zero (p = 0.751). The comparisons of all RTDs between unilateral and bilateral showed no difference between these conditions (the lower p value was 0.240). From concentric tests, the mean (SD) BDI was −4.5% (6.6), significantly less than zero (p < 0.001), and mRTD was lower during bilateral than unilateral left (p = 0.002) and right (p = 0.002) conditions. No correlation between BDI of isometric and concentric tests was found (r = 0.114, p = 0.506).

Conclusion

As isometric BDI was zero for torque and RTDs of bilateral showed not to be significantly different of unilateral, it is suggested that there is no BD during isometric test. As isometric and concentric BDI did not correlates, it is carefully suggested that isometric BDI may be accounted for intrinsic random error of measurement, while different mechanism may impact the BDI during non-stationary actions, and further studies with appropriate design should test such hypotheses.

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Funding

This work was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brazil.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. PPGEF-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 540-Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil

    Rugero Anderson Vaz Bulzing

  2. Sports and Exercise Medicine-Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK

    Stuart Charles Miller

  3. EEFD-Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 540-Cidade Universitária da Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21941-599, Brazil

    Carlos Gomes Oliveira

Authors
  1. Rugero Anderson Vaz Bulzing
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  2. Stuart Charles Miller
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Contributions

Rugero Bulzing was responsible for data collection, gathering the data, and participate in writing the paper. Stuart Miller helped in writing the paper and with the statistical approaches. Carlos Oliveira was responsible for the project concept and managing, signal processing, statistical analysis, and writing the paper. All authors reviewed the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Carlos Gomes Oliveira.

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All authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

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The ethical approval and informed consent is present in the methods section: "The test protocol was previously approved by local Ethics Committee for Human Study (allowance n. 60,773,912.2.0000.5257). Before participation in the study, the objective and procedures were explained to the participants, who subsequently provided written informed consent."

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Bulzing, R.A.V., Miller, S.C. & Oliveira, C.G. There is no bilateral deficit of torque and rate of torque development of knee extensors during isometric exertion when measured by two independent isokinetic machines. Sport Sci Health 20, 185–192 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-023-01088-2

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