Abstract
Joint torque measurement has been a standard way of deciding muscle strength. In clinical settings, however, joint torque improvement does not always directly lead to actual work capacity enhancement, even in the limited aspect of ability of a patient.
In our study, we used a work load simulator to decide “torque which can be given to an object at daily living”, which is different from actual joint torque and represents comprehensive muscle strength. The purpose of this study was to look for a way of clinical application of the torque by acquiring average values of upper extremity torques of healthy young adults and examining their reliability.
The subjects of this study were 49 healthy right-handed adults. We used a work load simulator with 4 different types of attachments. Isometric maximum torque values given to the attachments were measured to obtain average values. To examine their reliability, the same procedure was repeated 2 weeks later and the values obtained were examined by ICC.
In all of the work assignments, right hands presented larger or the same torque, compared to left hands. In all of the work assignment for each attachment, torque values of right and left hands presented significant correlations. In addition, almost all the assignments presented good reproducibility, suggesting sufficient clinical applicability.