The Comparison of Flexibility and Isokinetic Shoulder Strength in Wheelchair and Able-bodied Basketball Players

Assessment of muscle strength in para-athletes: A systematic review of observational studies

“… 28 An important observation based on a number of the included studies ( n = 6) was that overall, higher shoulder strength values were observed in para-athlete groups relative to controls. 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 48 , 49 This was most clearly demonstrated in studies using isokinetic testing to assess shoulder strength compared to sedentary, able-bodied, and disabled controls. For example, significant differences were found in higher shoulder extensor and flexor strength in wheelchair basketball players versus able-bodied controls at 60 and 180°/s.…”

“…The majority of studies assessed strength using isometric (16/30: 53%) 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 or isokinetic testing protocols (10/30: 33%). 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 Two studies combined isometric and isokinetic testing. 49 , 50 A further two studies used the one-repetition maximum 51 , 52 and one used manual muscle testing (See Table 3 ).…”

“… 49 , 50 A further two studies used the one-repetition maximum 51 , 52 and one used manual muscle testing (See Table 3 ). 53 Only five studies 23 , 28 , 31 , 45 , 48 included reliability data. These primarily assessed isometric shoulder strength, with reported intraclass correlations ( ICCs ) ranging from 0.81 to 0.98.…”

“…They comprised able-bodied participants and individuals with physical impairment from both athletic and sedentary populations or participants with different levels of functional impairment. 25 , 28 , 31 , 33 , 35 , 36 , 38 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 48 This contributed to the substantial clinical heterogeneity between control groups that precluded meta-analysis. Available data were extracted and summarised based on each group's mean strength values and standard deviations.…”

“…It has been shown to have acceptable correlations with isokinetic measures for both lower limb and upper limb strength. 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 Isometric strength testing, particularly slower ramping force measurements, may also provide the most appropriate measure of voluntary maximal strength, as it could be more resistant to training than isokinetic testing. 67 However, measurement errors using handheld dynamometry have been highlighted, linked to tester strength, 68 poor stabilisation during testing, and variations in participant effort.…”