The effect of age on the maximum moments of strength of the muscles of the lower extremities in patients with lumbar disc hernia

The maximum contractility of the muscles of the lower extremities was studied in patients with lumbar disc hernia in different age periods. Characteristics of the age-related changes in the muscle function of the patients were analyzed in comparison with the parameters of men with physiologically normal aging. It is shown that the maximum strength of muscles of the lower extremities (lower leg extensors and flexors and plantar flexors of the foot) in patients with lumbar disc hernia is 46–50% lower than in healthy subjects. This value is characterized by a negative correlation with age. The percentage of the age-specific decrease in the strength of three groups of muscles (lower leg extensors and flexors and plantar flexors of the foot) is 14% higher than in healthy men. The age-related decrease in the muscle strength of the lower extremities begins 30 years earlier.