Reliability and validity of a semi-electronic tissue compliance meter to assess muscle stiffness

Wilke, Jan; Vogt, Lutz; Pfarr, Tatjana; Banzer, Winfried

doi:10.3233/bmr-170871

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The measurement principle of Indentometer re-sembles that of a durometer or a tissue compliance meter, and the usefulness of both in the evaluation of skin induration 21,31 and muscle stiffness in the calf has been previously reported. 42 However, Moloney et al reported that quantifying fibrosis with the tissue compliance meter was difficult and that there is no preferred methodology for the evaluation of neck skin fibrosis. 43 The usefulness of a durometer or tissue compliance meter in the evaluation of skin induration is controversial.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Noninvasive Skin Evaluation Method for Lower Limb Lymphedema

Sano

Hirakawa

Yamanaka

et al. 2020

Lymphatic Research and Biology

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Background: The skin's condition is altered in lymphedema patients, and evaluating this change is important. Some noninvasive methods for evaluating skin condition have been reported, especially in upper limb lymphedema. However, evaluating the skin in lower limb lymphedema remains challenging and is often limited to palpation. We aimed to develop a noninvasive skin evaluation method for lower limb lymphedema patients. Methods and Results: Twenty-five lower limb lymphedema patients were included. Skin induration and elasticity were measured using Indentometer Ò IDM 400 and Cutometer Ò MPA580. The relationship between the properties of skin from the healthy forearm and thigh, those of the affected thigh, and age was analyzed. Predicted skin induration age (IA) and elasticity age (EA) were calculated from the forearm, whereas actual values were calculated from the thigh, and the differences (DIA and DEA) were assessed. Patients were classified according to the International Society of Lymphology clinical staging system, and the differences in DIA and DEA were analyzed among the three groups (healthy, stage I/IIa, and stage IIb/III). Skin biopsy was performed in five unilateral lower limb lymphedema patients, and the dermal elastic fiber area was determined using microscopy with Elastica van Gieson staining. DEA significantly increased with disease progression, but DIA did not change significantly. Microscopy revealed elastic fiber filamentous changes, with decreased elastic fiber areas in lymphedema-affected skin. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report to evaluate lower limb skin elasticity in lymphedema quantitatively and noninvasively. DEA is useful for evaluating skin condition progression in lymphedema patients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a Noninvasive Skin Evaluation Method for Lower Limb Lymphedema

Sano

Hirakawa

Yamanaka

et al. 2020

Lymphatic Research and Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The reliability of tissue stiffness assessment via ultrasound elastography as well as via myometry and indentometry has been recently documented (Pruyn et al, ; Salavati et al, ; Wilke et al, ). Because mechanoadaptation of collagenous tissues does not always go along with the adaptation of related skeletal muscles (Mersmann et al, ), it is suggested to enhance the incorporation of fascial tissue assessments in future therapeutic as well as scientific investigations in the field of sports medicine (Zuegel et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active contractile properties of fascia

Schleip

Klingler

2019

Clinical Anatomy

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The ubiquitous network of fascial tissues in the human body is usually regarded as a passive contributor to musculoskeletal dynamics. This review aims to highlight the current understanding of fascial stiffness regulation. Notably the ability for active cellular contraction which may augment the stiffness of fascial tissues and thereby contribute to musculoskeletal dynamics. A related narrative literature search via PubMed and Google Scholar reveals a multitude of studies indicating that the intrafascial presence of myofibroblasts may enable these tissues to alter their stiffness. This contractile tissue behavior occurs not only in several pathological fibrotic contractures but has also been documented in normal fasciae. When viewed at time frames of seconds and minutes the force of such tissue contractions is not sufficient for exerting a significant effect on mechanical joint stability. However, when viewed in a time-window of several minutes and longer, such cellular contractions can impact motoneuronal coordination. In addition, over a time frame of days to months, this cellular activity can induce long-term and severe tissue contractures. These findings tend to question the common clear distinction between active tissues and passive tissues in musculoskeletal dynamics. Clin. Anat. 32:891-895, 2019.

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“…We measured the muscle's resistance against deformation as a surrogate measure for muscle stiffness (Simons and Mense, 1998 ; Wilke et al, 2018 ) using a custom-built indentometer device. The handheld device was used in a previous study to non-invasively investigate back muscle stiffness (Kett and Sichting, 2020 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The handheld device was used in a previous study to noninvasively investigate back muscle stiffness (Kett and Sichting, 2020). A prior study by Wilke et al (2018) on the gastrocnemius muscle indicates an excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.84) for the indentometer device (Wilke et al, 2018). As described by Kett and Sichting (2020), the device contains a load cell (Compression Load Cell FX1901, TE Connectivity, Schaffhausen, Switzerland) and a membrane potentiometer (ThinPot 10 kOhm, Spectra Symbol, Salt Lake City, USA) to measure the resistance force and displacement of a circular indentation probe (Ø 11.3 mm) (Kett and Sichting, 2020).…”

Section: Stiffness Measurementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sitting for Too Long, Moving Too Little: Regular Muscle Contractions Can Reduce Muscle Stiffness During Prolonged Periods of Chair-Sitting

Kett

Milani

Sichting

2021

Front. Sports Act. Living

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In modern Western societies, sedentary behavior has become a growing health concern. There is increasing evidence that prolonged sitting periods can be associated with musculoskeletal disorders. While it is generally recognized that back muscle activity is low during chair-sitting, little is known about the consequences of minor to no muscle activity on muscle stiffness. Muscle stiffness may play an important role in musculoskeletal health. This study investigated the effects of regular muscle contractions on muscle stiffness in a controlled experiment in which participants sat for 4.5 h. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation in the lumbar region of the back was applied to trigger regular muscle contractions. Using stiffness measurements and continuous motion capturing, we found that prolonged sitting periods without regular muscle contractions significantly increased back muscle stiffness. Moreover, we were able to show that regular muscle contractions can prevent those effects. Our results highlight the importance of consistent muscle activity throughout the day and may help explain why prolonged periods of chair-sitting increase the susceptibility to common pathological conditions such as low back pain.

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Reliability and validity of a semi-electronic tissue compliance meter to assess muscle stiffness

Abstract: The STCM provides valid and reliable measurements of tissue stiffness. Further study is needed to provide norm values for different body regions and to reveal alterations in patients with musculoskeletal disorders.

Cited by 22 publications

References 16 publications

Development of a Noninvasive Skin Evaluation Method for Lower Limb Lymphedema

Development of a Noninvasive Skin Evaluation Method for Lower Limb Lymphedema

Active contractile properties of fascia

Sitting for Too Long, Moving Too Little: Regular Muscle Contractions Can Reduce Muscle Stiffness During Prolonged Periods of Chair-Sitting

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