chapter
9
Regaining Muscular Strength,
Endurance, and Power
William E. Prentice, PhD, PT, ATC, FNATA
After completion of this chapter,
the athletic trainer should be able to
do the following:
• Define muscular strength, endurance, and power, and discuss their
importance in a program of rehabilitation following injury.
• Discuss the anatomy and physiology of skeletal muscle.
• Discuss the physiology of strength
development and factors that determine strength.
• Describe specific methods for
improving muscular strength.
• Differentiate between muscle
strength and muscle endurance.
• Discuss differences between males
and females in terms of strength
development.
- 243 -
Following all musculoskeletal injuries, there
will be some degree of impairment in muscular strength and endurance. For the athletic
trainer supervising a rehabilitation program,
regaining, and in many instances improving,
levels of strength and endurance are critical
for discharging and returning the patient to a
functional level following injury.
By definition, muscular strength is the ability of a muscle to generate force against some
resistance. Maintenance of at least a normal
level of strength in a given muscle or muscle
group is important for normal healthy living.
Muscle weakness or imbalance can result in
abnormal movement or gait and can impair
normal functional movement. Resistance training plays a critical role in injury rehabilitation.
Muscular strength is closely associated with
muscular endurance. Muscular endurance
is the ability to perform repetitive muscular
contractions against some resistance for an
extended period. As we will see later, as muscular strength increases, there tends to be a
corresponding increase in endurance. For the
average person in the population, developing
muscular endurance is likely more important
Prentice WE, ed.
Rehabilitation Techniques for Sports Medicine and Athletic Training (pp 243-266).
© 2015 SLACK Incorporated.