Enhancing the examiner’s resisting force improves the reliability of manual muscle strength measurements: Comparison of a new device with hand-held dynamometry

Abstract

Objective: To develop and determine the reliability of a newly -designed resistance-enhanced dynamometer for muscle strength measurement, and to test the hypothesis that enhancing the examiner's resisting force improves the reliability of manual muscle strength measurements. Design: An intra-examiner, inter-examiner, intra-session and inter-session reliability study. Subjects: Twenty-five men (mean age 22.5 (standard deviation (SD) 1.7) years) were tested separately by 2 examiners using the resistance-enhanced dynamometer and a traditional hand-held dynamometer for an intra-and inter-examiner reliability study. Twenty-seven volunteers (mean age 22.1 (SD 0.8) years) were tested by a female examiner using the resistance-enhanced dynamometer for an intra-and inter-session reliability study.

Patients with type II diabetes mellitus display reduced toe-obstacle clearance with altered gait patterns during obstacle-crossing

“…MMT is not a sufficiently sensitive method [28] for detecting small muscle strength reduction, and may also underestimate the muscle strength as a result of insufficient examiner strength or the ceiling effect in the grading [29], the reduced muscle strength before PN is diagnosed [11] was not ruled out as a possible contributor to the observed gait deviation in the following discussion.…”

Peg Restrained Intrinsic Muscle Evaluator (PRIME): Development, Reliability, and Normative Values of a Device to Quantify Intrinsic Hand Muscle Strength in Children

“…12 In "break" tests, the measurements depend on the examiner's applied force, velocity, direction, and degree of displacement. 22,25 In comparison with previously reported pediatric intrinsic muscle strength values by Molenaar et al using the RIHM, 26 the PRIME mean values were lower. The RIHM measurements ranged from 48% greater for thumb abduction to 263% greater for thumb opposition in children aged 4 to 12 years.…”

Adductor Canal Block With 10 mL Versus 30 mL Local Anesthetics and Quadriceps Strength

“…A decrease by more than 25% from baseline was considered a reduction in strength because this represents a real change in knee extension strength. 13,14 Functional outcome was assessed by a modified 30-Second Chair Stand Test as described by Jones et al, 15 measuring how many times the subject can get up from a chair and sit down again during a 30-second period. Subjects were not allowed to use their arms for support during the test.…”

“…11,12 However, in 3 subjects, strength was reduced by more than 25% from baseline, 3 which is considered a real change in knee extension strength. 13,14 This excessive muscle affection may represent block of the nerve to the vastus medialis. Alternatively, it may have been the result of spread to neighboring muscles or to the femoral triangle, which might have been avoided if we had injected a smaller volume.…”