Intersession Reliability of Isokinetic Strength Testing in Knee and Elbow Extension and Flexion Using the BTE PrimusRS.

CONTEXT: The use of isokinetic dynamometers playing an important role in different settings of sports and medicine. Therefore, a high reliability of these devices is required. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the intersession reliability of the dynamometer BTE PrimusRS regarding to the isolated single-joint exercises extension/flexion of the knee and elbow for isokinetic testing DESIGN: Intersession reliability. SETTING: Clinical settings and sports science. PARTICIPANTS: 16 young male students. INTERVENTION: The testing protocol includes 5 consecutive repetitions (concentric/concentric) at a velocity of 60°/s for the exercises. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Raw data of torque curves were used to determine the peak torque. Reliability was evaluated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the limits of agreement (LoA), and the bias and the variability of measurements (V). RESULTS: High ICC values (.954-.991) were found for the used exercises. However, the LoAs yielded up to over 16 Nm and the V yielded up to nearly 9 % in several testing exercises, indicating poor absolute reliability. CONCLUSION: The BTE PrimusRS shows good to excellent reliability. However, regarding the absolute measures of reliability, the users must decide as experts in their fields whether this reliability is sufficient for their purposes.

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy in movement science: a systematic review on cortical activity in postural and walking tasks.

Safe locomotion is a crucial aspect of human daily living that requires well-functioning motor control processes. The human neuromotor control of daily activities such as walking relies on the complex interaction of subcortical and cortical areas. Technical developments in neuroimaging systems allow the quantification of cortical activation during the execution of motor tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) seems to be a promising tool to monitor motor control processes in cortical areas in freely moving subjects. However, so far, there is no established standardized protocol regarding the application and data processing of fNIRS signals that limits the comparability among studies. Hence, this systematic review aimed to summarize the current knowledge about application and data processing in fNIRS studies dealing with walking or postural tasks. Fifty-six articles of an initial yield of 1420 publications were reviewed and information about methodology, data processing, and findings were extracted. Based on our results, we outline the recommendations with respect to the design and data processing of fNIRS studies. Future perspectives of measuring fNIRS signals in movement science are discussed.