Abstract
This article presents a normative database for the Cybex TEF and TORSO spinal isokinetic dynamometers and examines the various applications of the information to the clinical setting. Peak torque percent body weight (PT%BW) data were collected from 27176 normal subjects (13 497 females, 13 679 males; age range 10–79 years) in five occupational categories (industrial, professional, service, student and retired) at the concentric isokinetic speeds of 30, 60, 90, 120 and 1500/s on both the TEF (flexion/ extension) and TORSO (left/right rotation) systems. Statistical analysis (ANOV A) revealed significant differences between test devices, genders, test motions, and subject age by decade. However, differences did not exist between test speeds or left and right rotation results. Additional findings were that PT%BW output occurred in a hierarchy (extension > flexion > rotation); males produced higher PT%BW levels than females, although performance ratios for each muscle group were very similar; and PT%BW output decreases at a similar rate between muscle groups for both genders across the 10–19 through 70–79 age decades. The results imply that testing at multiple speeds is not necessary on the TEF and TORSO systems; PT&BW data for the spine may be taken from a comfortable single speed within the 30–150 °/s isokinetic velocity spectrum.