Affiliations: [a] Institute of Clinical Neuroscience – Rehabilitation
Medicine, Göteborg, Sweden | [b] Institute of Occupational Therapy and Physical
Therapy, Göteborg, Sweden | [c] Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Göteborg
University, Göteborg, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen,
Institute of Clinical Neuroscience-Rehabilitation Medicine, Guldhedsgatan 19,
Sahlgrenska University Hospital, S-13 45 Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.:
+46 31 342 28 03; Fax: +46 31 51 44 33; E-mail: ks.sunnerhagen@neuro.gu.se
Abstract: Aim: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect
of different test positions on the static strength of ankle joint muscles and
the EMG activity of the calf and thigh muscles in patients with upper motor
neuron lesion due to stroke. Set-up: Static torque was recorded during isometric plantar flexion
muscle action while sitting, standing and lying prone, in both the affected and
the non-affected leg in seven patients. The EMG activity was recorded in the
soleus, medial gastrocnemius, anterior tibial and rectus femoris muscles. Results: The affected leg showed lowered torque values in all
positions compared to the non-affected leg. There were no significant
differences in the torque values depending on positions nor in the EMG
recordings. When the standing position was used as "normative", there was a
significant difference in the EMG values between the affected and non-affected
leg when sitting with the knee bent and while standing with the knee straight;
i.e. in closed-chain exercises. Discussion: Training and testing of strength in the plantar flexor
muscles in stroke patients may be done in both open and closed-chain exercises
as far as force development is concerned. However, the outcome of these
different types of exercises might be influenced by the position of the knee
joint since the gastrocnemius is a two-joint muscle.
