Isokinetic exercise and testing have been available since 1970. The concept was far from an immediate a success. Isokinetics machines were few and far between with little or no feedback. The results we all love to hate were not available with exercise as the only option.
Isokinetic testing was originally a tool used mainly in exercise science and the only isokinetic movements available were concentric (with no thought given to isotonics, isometrics, continuous passive motion (CPM) or range of motion expansion).
Eventually, isokinetics found its way into therapy albeit with very rigid machines usually specific to a joint or small numbers of joints.
In the early 80's (around 1984) the world of isokinetics changed dramatically. Servo motors and microprocessors transformed the early machines into fast and dynamic tools offering instant data analysis and reproducibility. This now meant that real time data became available and testing became as important as exercise.
The new machines now incorporated what we call today active dynamometry. It was at this stage that eccentric isokinetic testing and exercise became available. This change in the fundamental data collection process finally sparked large scale interest in isokinetic testing.
.
History|Fundamentals|Contractions|Contraindications|Exercise|Measurements|Bio-mechanics