Abstract
In order to examine the effects of decrease in muscle strength of lower limbs on supportability of lower limbs and gait performance, the muscle strength was evaluated among 4 patients who had showed a selective decrease in muscle strength of regions around femoral and sacral nerves. Of a patient with a selective decrease in antigravity muscle strength of lower limbs, the supportability and gait performance was difficult to be speculated by the evaluation of single muscle such as MMT or the peak torque of knee extension. On the other hand, muscle strength of leg press was able to be evaluated even when the peak torque of knee extension could not be measured, and an improvement in muscle strength of leg press was found to mirror an improvement in other antigravity muscles and gait independence degrees. These results suggest that for patients who showed a selective decrease in muscle strength in regions around femoral and sacral nerves, the evaluation of muscle strength of leg press is useful, not that of single muscle strength.
