Wendy Verhoef

Functional strength in children aged 4-10 years
 

In children’s daily life and sports activities muscle strength plays an important role. Comprehensive evaluation of muscle functioning is  an important consideration when interpreting situations where children have difficulty executing their daily tasks.

Many disorders in childhood may lead to primary or secondary loss of muscle strength. Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), hypermobility, decreased IQ (50-70), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Cerebral Palsy and Neuromuscular disorders (NMD) are familiar with reduced strength.

To assess muscle strength often  the Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD) and Oxford Medical Research Counsel (MRC) are used. Both measure the strength of a muscle or muscle group. However, they do not express the functional usability of the generated force in real life situations. Previous research has shown that the strength of a muscle or muscle group and functionality is not linear related to each other.

Functional strength is the force required for a given activity. The Functional Strength Measurement (FSM) is designed to evaluate functional strength in children aged 4 to 10 years and to compare the averages with their peers.

This project will look at the different psychometric properties of the FSM in typically developing children, children with CP, DCD,  NMA and reduced IQ (50-70).  We also examine if functional strength is reduced compared in comprising with  the norm group.

Contact: wendyverhoef@live.nl / info@functionalstrengthmeasurement-fsm.com