Test-retest reliability and responsiveness of a comprehensive protocol for the assessment of muscle tone of the ankle plantar flexors in healthy subjects
Affiliations: [a] Performance and Sport Rehabilitation Laboratory, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Toledo, Spain | [b] Rehabilitation Service, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain | [c] Sensorimotor Function Group, Hospital Nacional de Parapléjicos, SESCAM, Toledo, Spain | [d] Toledo Physiotherapy Research Group, E.U.E. Fisioterapia de Toledo, Universidad de Castilla la Mancha, Toledo, Spain
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Elisabeth Bravo-Esteban, Universidad Castilla-La Mancha, Avda. Carlos III s/n, Toledo 45071, Spain.E-mail: Elisabeth.Bravo@uclm.es.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is no information about the reliability of a comprehensive way to assess muscle tone that contains the different dimensions that define or could influence it in the ankle plantar flexors. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relative and absolute test-retest intra-day and inter-day reliability of a comprehensive protocol for the assessment of muscle tone responsiveness of the ankle plantar flexors. METHODS: Twenty healthy volunteers completed the study. It was performed a methodological study protocol (SPIRITT). Assessments included passive resistive torque-to-ankle dorsiflexion at slow (10∘/s) and fast (180∘/s) velocities, muscle extensibility measured as passive dorsiflexion range of motion, maximum isometric force and surface electromyography. Three measures were taken with a one-hour (intra-day reliability) and a one-week (inter-day reliability) rest interval between sessions. Inter-session reliability was examined through typical percentage error (CVTE), percentage of change in the mean and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: Passive resistive-torque using isokinetic showed better reliability (CVTE from 7.1% to 18.3% and ICC: 0.64 to 0.94) than variables obtained with electromyography (CVTE: 36.5% to 72.5%; ICC: 0.56 to 0.69) and intra-day reliability showed better results than inter-day reliability. Extensibility test and maximal isometric force showed a very good intra-day and inter-day reliability (ICC from 0.82 to 0.97). CONCLUSION: The comprehensive protocol of muscle tone assessment showed very good reliability. The protocol established provides a reliable tool to assess and characterise muscle status and the effect of therapeutic interventions.
