COMPARISON OF UPPER-LIMB MUSCULAR STRENGTH ACROSS AGE GROUPS IN STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS

Abstract

The functional independence and the ability of students with physical impairments to engage in everyday and school activities require upper-limb muscular strength. It is possible that age-related development can affect the muscular strength, but little research has been done to investigate variations within certain age groups in this group of people. The aim of the study was to compare the upper-limb muscular strength in students with physical impairment of 10-13 years of age and 14-17 years of age. A purposive sampling technique was utilized to select 20 students aged 10-17 years with physical disabilities from (PSRD) Pakistan Society for Rehabilitation of Differently Abled School. Strength of the upper limbs was measured with the help of Brockport Physical Fitness Test and the collected data were analyzed applying the Tau-U test to compare differences between the two age groups. Results showed that students between the age of 14-17 years exhibited much stronger upper-limb strength than students between 10-13 years, indicating the effect of the age and developmental stage on the muscle performance. These findings highlight that age-specific strength training interventions are necessary to improve physical functioning, autonomy and engagement in physically impaired students.