Abstract
The present study examined the relation between knee extension strength and motor ability. A motor performance test was administered to 106 (38 males and 68 females, aged 17 to 85) dwellers in Kasari town, Amami island. The test consisted of measurements of knee extension strength, grip strength, sitting trunk flexion, one-leg standing and walking at maximum speeds. The results indicate that mean values of knee extension strength were 29.4 kg in men and 21.7 kg in women. Mean values of knee extension strength/weight were 42.7% in men and 41% in women. The determinants of knee extension strength were one-leg standing and walking at maximum speed in all subjects; walking at maximum speed in middle-aged women; and grip strength and sitting trunk flexion in elderly women.
