Measuring Muscle Stiffness in Parkinson’s Disease using MyotonPRO Device: Feasibility & Reliability in a Clinical Setting in Ghana

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the feasibility and within-session reliability of Myoton
technology to measure muscle stiffness objectively in people with Parkinson’s disease
in an outpatient setting.

Design: An exploratory quantitative study design was used.
Setting: The study was conducted in the outpatient physiotherapy department of a
Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Participants were recruited from three sites.

Participants: Thirty adults with Parkinson’s disease aged over 18-years with
increased tone (muscle stiffness) and at Hoehn and Yahr Stages I-III were studied.
Persons with severe comorbidities were excluded.

Intervention: There was no intervention prior to testing. The MyotonPRO device
measured the mechanical properties of the biceps brachii, flexor carpi radialis and
tibialis anterior muscles in a relaxed supine position. The device’s probe applied
mechanical impulses to the skin, eliciting tissue oscillations. Three parameters
(stiffness, non-neural tone and elasticity) of the muscles were recorded bilaterally. The
reliability of two sets (of 5 impulses) of Myoton data on all three muscles was
examined.

Results: All 30 participants (66.3±8.9 years) were recruited and tested within eight
weeks. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 3,2) were above 0.92 for biceps brachii
and tibialis anterior, and above 0.86 for flexor carpi radialis.

Conclusion: The MyotonPRO was reliable for measuring two sets of data within the
same session, indicating that only one set of measurements is needed. The technique
is feasible and easy to use in a clinical setting in Ghana, with the potential to assess
the effect of medical and physiotherapy interventions on muscles in people with
Parkinson’s disease.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Paul Muckelt: orcid.org/0000-0001-5995-881X

ORCID for Maria Stokes: orcid.org/0000-0002-4204-0890

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