AUTHOR=Nguyen Anh Phong , Detrembleur Christine , Fisette Paul , Selves Clara , Mahaudens Philippe 

TITLE=MyotonPro Is a Valid Device for Assessing Wrist Biomechanical Stiffness in Healthy Young Adults

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sports and Active Living

VOLUME=4

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sports-and-active-living/articles/10.3389/fspor.2022.797975

DOI=10.3389/fspor.2022.797975

ISSN=2624-9367

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>The MyotonPro is a portable device for measuring biomechanical and viscoelastic properties in superficial soft tissues. The aims of this study are firstly to validate the MyotonPro compared to a reliable gold-standard frame and secondly to observe the influence of MyotonPro measurement on the total wrist viscoelasticity.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Three silicone polymers with different elastic properties were assessed with the MyotonPro and with a reference rheometer (Universal Tribometer Mod). Then, a free oscillations method was used to measure the passive elastic and viscous stiffness of the wrist and compared to MyotonPro forearm measurements.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A one-way ANOVA demonstrated the validity of the MyotonPro's stiffness (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001), decrement (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), and relaxation (<italic>p</italic> = 0.008) parameters for measuring the elastic stiffness (<italic>k</italic>) of the three polymers. The MyotonPro parameters demonstrated excellent reliability on the forearm. Proximal and distal anterior myofascial measurements of the MyotonPro were moderately correlated to the elastic stiffness (<italic>p</italic> = 0.0027–0.0275, absolute <italic>r</italic> = from 0.270 to 0.375) of the wrist while the postero-distal myofascial tissues of the forearm demonstrated a moderate correlation with the viscous stiffness of the wrist (<italic>p</italic> = 0.0096–0.0433, absolute <italic>r</italic> = from 0.257 to 0.326).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>The MyotonPro is a valid device for measuring elastic stiffness as well as a portable, affordable, and easy-to-use tool for quantifying the biomechanical properties and viscoelasticity of myofascial tissue in healthy subjects.</p></sec>