Gender and age-related decline in lower limb standing muscle strength: benchmarking for rehabilitation assessment

This study aimed to demonstrate a novel sensor-based measuring stand for objective assessment of multi-directional lower limb muscle strength and to establish essential, age- and gender-stratified normative benchmarks. This cross-sectional study measured relative leg strength (N/kg) across six standing movements in 99 healthy, non-professional athletes (males and females aged 20–30, 40–50, and 60–70 years). Results confirmed that men exhibited significantly greater strength than women across all six directions (17% to 35% difference). Furthermore, a marked age-related decline was consistently observed in both sexes, with the largest and most clinically relevant differences (often exceeding 30%) concentrated in the transition to the 60–70-year range. Methodologically, these findings are limited to demonstrating age-related differences rather than longitudinal decline and are specific to an active, healthy cohort. This study demonstrates the sensor-based stand as an efficient, objective tool for comprehensive strength assessment, but its clinical utility is prospective and requires further validation against diverse and pathological patient populations.