Inter-rater reliability of measuring mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in young males using a new portable device (MyotonPRO)
Inter-rater reliability of measuring mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in young males using a new portable device (MyotonPRO)
Purpose
Objective measurement of mechanical properties of skeletal muscles in a clinical setting is difficult. The present study examined inter-rater reliability of a new portable device for objective testing. Relevance Clinical measures of mechanical properties, such as muscle tone, are subjective. An objective tool would enable accurate assessment and monitoring of treatment efficacy.
Participants
Twenty one healthy men aged 20-35 years (mean 25.9, SD 4.4) with body mass index of 23.9 kg/m2 (SD 2.5) were studied.
Methods
Mechanical properties of rectus femoris (RF) and biceps brachii (BB) muscles on the dominant side were tested with the participant in relaxed supine lying. The MyotonPRO device was placed on the relevant muscle belly and applied mechanical taps which induced muscle oscillations, from which frequency (tone; Hz),decrement (elasticity; log), and stiffness (N/m) were measured. Two sets of 10 taps were applied to each muscle (mean of the two used for analysis) by two novice raters.
Analysis
Data were analysed using SPSS 18. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to assess intrarater within session reliability (ICC3,2) and between rater reliability (ICC3,1).
Results
Test-retest reliability for each rater in both muscles was excellent (ICC3,2 0.94-0.99). Inter-rater reliability was excellent for all RF parameters (ICC3,1 decrement 0.95; frequency 0.93; stiffness 0.92) and good to excellent for BB parameters (ICC3,1 decrement 0.78; frequency 0.84; stiffness 0.94).
Conclusions
The MyotonPRO device demonstrated excellent within-session intra-rater reliability and good to excellent inter-rater reliability for RF and BB in asymptomatic young males. Reliability needs to be established between days and for other muscles in healthy and clinical populations. Implications These findings demonstrate that different raters can obtain similar measurements for BB and RF muscles using the MyotonPRO in healthy young males. The device is therefore a potentially valuable tool for objective assessment of muscle in clinical and research settings.
reliability, skeletal muscle, mechanical properties
22-22
Agyapong-Badu, Sandra
a48029a3-7908-47c3-84ff-0ad6898cbb1c
Warner, Martin
f4dce73d-fb87-4f71-a3f0-078123aa040c
Samuel, D.
03b00738-9b9c-4c0a-a85a-cf43fc0932fc
Stokes, M.
71730503-70ce-4e67-b7ea-a3e54579717f
October 2012
Agyapong-Badu, Sandra
a48029a3-7908-47c3-84ff-0ad6898cbb1c
Warner, Martin
f4dce73d-fb87-4f71-a3f0-078123aa040c
Samuel, D.
03b00738-9b9c-4c0a-a85a-cf43fc0932fc
Stokes, M.
71730503-70ce-4e67-b7ea-a3e54579717f
Agyapong-Badu, Sandra, Warner, Martin, Samuel, D. and Stokes, M.
(2012)
Inter-rater reliability of measuring mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in young males using a new portable device (MyotonPRO).
Proceedings of CSP Congress, .
Abstract
Purpose
Objective measurement of mechanical properties of skeletal muscles in a clinical setting is difficult. The present study examined inter-rater reliability of a new portable device for objective testing. Relevance Clinical measures of mechanical properties, such as muscle tone, are subjective. An objective tool would enable accurate assessment and monitoring of treatment efficacy.
Participants
Twenty one healthy men aged 20-35 years (mean 25.9, SD 4.4) with body mass index of 23.9 kg/m2 (SD 2.5) were studied.
Methods
Mechanical properties of rectus femoris (RF) and biceps brachii (BB) muscles on the dominant side were tested with the participant in relaxed supine lying. The MyotonPRO device was placed on the relevant muscle belly and applied mechanical taps which induced muscle oscillations, from which frequency (tone; Hz),decrement (elasticity; log), and stiffness (N/m) were measured. Two sets of 10 taps were applied to each muscle (mean of the two used for analysis) by two novice raters.
Analysis
Data were analysed using SPSS 18. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to assess intrarater within session reliability (ICC3,2) and between rater reliability (ICC3,1).
Results
Test-retest reliability for each rater in both muscles was excellent (ICC3,2 0.94-0.99). Inter-rater reliability was excellent for all RF parameters (ICC3,1 decrement 0.95; frequency 0.93; stiffness 0.92) and good to excellent for BB parameters (ICC3,1 decrement 0.78; frequency 0.84; stiffness 0.94).
Conclusions
The MyotonPRO device demonstrated excellent within-session intra-rater reliability and good to excellent inter-rater reliability for RF and BB in asymptomatic young males. Reliability needs to be established between days and for other muscles in healthy and clinical populations. Implications These findings demonstrate that different raters can obtain similar measurements for BB and RF muscles using the MyotonPRO in healthy young males. The device is therefore a potentially valuable tool for objective assessment of muscle in clinical and research settings.
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More information
Published date: October 2012
Venue - Dates:
Physiotherapy UK 2012. CSP Conference & Trade Exhibition, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 2012-10-11 - 2012-10-12
Keywords:
reliability, skeletal muscle, mechanical properties
Organisations:
Faculty of Health Sciences
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 344513
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344513
PURE UUID: 23ba46bc-8445-4b16-b51e-165f064216ed
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 23 Oct 2012 13:30
Last modified: 17 Apr 2024 01:39
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Contributors
Author:
Sandra Agyapong-Badu
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