“Reliability of the MyotonPRO stiffness in the lower limb”

Details

Supervisors

Nguyen, Anh Phong

Faculty

Faculté des sciences de la motricité

Degree label

Master [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation

Abstract

Clinicians and sports stakeholders agree that the mechanical properties of muscles and tendons need to be quantified in a quick, accessible and valid way in order to optimize athlete preparation or improve the rehabilitation of injured tendons. In this regard, the MyotonPRO was used to assess the mechanical properties of soft tissues, including muscles and tendons. The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability of the MyotonpPRO to measure passive stiffness of Achilles and patellar tendons and gastrocnemii using different measurement protocols. Twenty healthy participants (male, n=11; female, n=11; total, n=22) were recruited. All participants had the right leg as dominant. Reliability was essentially very high for T6 and T8 in each protocol. For the gastrocnemius, reliability was high to very high for almost all points. The patellar tendon showed better results in unloading. From these results, we can confirm that the MyotonPRO is a reliable device for measuring passive stiffness of the lower extremity. For best results, it is essential that the same experimenter takes the measurements. If we want to evaluate the stiffness of the Achilles tendon, the best point is undoubtedly T8.