Calculation of Resistive Loads for Elastic Resistive Exercises.
Kelsey Picha, Tim Uhl
PMID 28952863WHAT IT FOUND
Healthy participants started elastic exercises at loads averaging 30% of their maximal isometric strength.
This percentage worked across shoulder and hip movements. A simplified matrix using height and force lets clinicians prescribe these loads without measuring lever arms.
Key findings
01Participants selected starting loads averaging 30% of their maximal isometric force for shoulder and hip exercises.
02A clinician-friendly matrix was developed to determine resistive loads using only patient height, force produced, and resistance location, eliminating the need to measure lever arms.
03The study notes that 50% of maximal isometric force was too difficult for participants to perform isotonic exercises, supporting the use of lower starting percentages.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study analyzed only 30 of the 34 recruited participants. Participants were healthy volunteers with varying activity levels, not patients with specific musculoskeletal impairments or pain. The primary aim was to describe the calculation process, not to test the efficacy of the 30% starting load compared to other methods. The matrix provided is based on a simplified approach and may not account for individual variations in pain or specific patient situations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the 30% starting load is a validated standard for all patient populations. This figure comes from healthy volunteers in a secondary analysis, and the authors explicitly state that individual variations based on pain and specific situations will occur.