Background: Hemiparesis not only affects the affected side but also exerts an impact on the unaffected side. Stroke patients endure muscular weakness attributable to hemiparesis, resulting in asymmetry of muscular strength between the paralyzed and non-paralyzed sides. Objectives: To investigate the correlation between lower limb muscle strength asymmetry and functional factors in patients with stroke. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 58 stroke patients participated in this study. After measuring the muscle strength of both lower limbs using manual muscle testing, the asymmetry was calculated. Functional factors such as berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), 10-metre walk (10MW), and modified barthel index (MBI) were measured. Results: The BBS showed positive correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The TUG showed negative correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The 10MW showed negative correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The MBI showed positive correlations only with hip strength asymmetry (P<.05). Conclusion: We were found that there is a more pronounced lower limb muscle strength asymmetry in the lower extremity of stroke patients, which is associated with BBS, TUG, and 10MW.

Background: Falls are a common and serious problem in the elderly population. Muscle strength and balance are important factors in the prevention of falls. The Y-balance test (YBT) is used to assess dynamic postural control and shows excellent test-retest reliability. However, no studies have examined the relationship between lower-limb strength and YBT scores in elderly women. Objects: This study aimed to examine the relationship between lower-limb strength and YBT scores in elderly women. Methods: Thirty community-dwelling elderly women participated in the study. Lower-limb strength including hip flexor, hip extensor, hip abductor (HAB), hip adductor (HAD), knee flexor, knee extensor, ankle dorsiflexor, and ankle plantar flexor (PF) muscles was examined using a smart KEMA strength sensor (KOREATECH Inc.), and the YBT was used to assess dynamic balance. Relationship between lower-limb strength and YBT was demonstrated using a Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: HAB strength (r = 0.388, p < 0.05), HAD strength (r = 0.362, p < 0.05), and ankle PF strength (r = 0.391, p < 0.05) positively correlated with the YBT-anterior direction distance. Ankle PF strength was positively correlated with the YBT-posteromedial direction distance (r = 0.396, p < 0.05) and composite score (r = 0.376, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that HAB, HAD, and ankle PF strengths should be considered for dynamic postural control in elderly women.

Background: The effect of mobilization on lumbar back pain has been fully described in several clinical aspects, but evidence for muscle strength would be still less clear. Objective: To assess the effect of lumbar mobilization on lower limb strength in healthy individuals. Methods and Analysis: Healthy people aged 18-65 will be included regardless of race or sex. Original peer-reviewed primary reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be included. Electronic databases, such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Pedro, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov will be searched from inception until July 30. Only studies published in English will be included in this review. Two reviewers will complete the screening for eligibility independently, and the other two reviewers will also complete the risks of data extraction and bias assessment independently. Lower Limb strength will be assessed as primary outcome, and particular intervention or participant characteristics will be assessed as the secondary outcomes. Meta-analysis will be conducted using Review Manager 5.3.3, and evidence level will be assessed using the method for Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Outcomes will be presented as the weighted mean difference or standardized mean difference with 95% CI. If I2 ≤ 50%, P>.1, the fixed effect model will be used, otherwise, random-effects model will be used. Ethics and dissemination: This review might not be necessary ethical approval because it does not require individual patient’s data; these findings will be published in conference presentations or peer-reviewed journal articles. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020150144.

Background: Spinal Mobilization is one of the manual therapy technique that clinicians have used to treat pain, however, there is still a lack of research on changes in strength in healthy people. Objectives: To investigate the effect of posterior-anterior lumbar mobilization on lower limb strength in healthy individuals. Design: Two-group pretest-posttest design. Methods: In this study, 23 healthy subjects aged 20 years were assigned to 12 lumbar mobilization group (LMG) and 12 sham group (SG) to perform intervention and measurement through pre- and post-design. Intervention was performed in LMG with grade III~IV on L3-5 of the lumbar spine, and lumbar mobilization was performed for each segment. After intervention, knee flexion and extension strength were measured. To measure the main effect on muscle strength, a comparative analysis was conducted using paired t-test and independent t-test. Results: In LMG, knee flexor and extensor strength were increased significantly at 60°/s (P<.05). In addition, the extensors of LMG and SG were significantly different only at 60°/s, and the flexors were significantly different between groups at both 60°/s and 180°/s (P<.05). Conclusion: In healthy individuals, lumbar mobilization results in improvement of strength of knee flexor and extensor, and additional experiments on the effect of mobilization on the lumbar spine on functional changes in the lower limbs will be needed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mobilization of the sciatic nerve on hamstring flexibility, lower limb strength, and gait performance in patients with chronic stroke. This study was a randomized clinical trial with a crossover design. Sixteen subjects were recruited for this study. The subjects were randomly divided into two intervention groups and underwent either of the following two interventions: sciatic nerve mobilization or static stretching of the hamstring. We assessed hamstring flexibility, lower limb strength, and gait performance using a digital inclinometer, a hand-held dynamometer, and the 10-meter walk test, respectively. Subjects had a 24-hour rest period between each session in order to minimize carryover effects. Measurements for each test were assessed prior to and immediately after the intervention sessions. Using a two-way analysis of variance test with repeated measures, data from the two trials were analyzed by comparing the differences between both techniques. The level of statistical significance was set at .05. Sciatic nerve mobilization resulted in significantly better knee extensor strength (p=.023, from 15.32±5.98 to 18.16±6.95 ㎏) and knee flexor strength (p=.011, from 7.80±4.80 to 8.15±4.24 ㎏) in the experimental group than in the control group. However, no significant effects of static stretching of the hamstring were observed on hamstring flexibility from the ankle plantar flexion (p=.966) and ankle neutral positions (p=.210) and on gait performance (p=.396). This study indicated that the sciatic nerve mobilization technique may be more effective in muscle activation of the knee extensor muscle and knee flexor muscle than hamstring static stretching technique in patients with chronic stroke.