Relationship between peak torque and total work in an isokinetic contraction of the medial collateral ligament insufficient knee.

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the isometric and isokinetic peak torques (speed of movement 0, 60, and 180 degrees/s) and the total work output of multiple contractions (180 degrees/s) of the quadriceps and hamstrings in 25 subjects having a chronic, complete insufficiency of the medial collateral ligament of the knee. At every test speed the Pearson product moment (r) and the Spearman rank (rs) correlation coefficients between the peak torque and total work were highly significant for both muscle groups in the uninjured (r = 0.75-0.96, rs = 0.72-0.95) as well as in the medially unstable (r = 0.79-0.93, rs = 0.76-0.92) knees. In both knees and in both muscle groups, the correlation coefficients increased toward the highest speed of the isokinetic movement, obviously since the total work was registered at that speed. The author concludes that in the medial collateral ligament insufficient knees the total work analysis offers little additional information to that attained by more simple measurement, the peak torque analysis.