Reliability studies at the University of Southampton
29.08.2011
Scientists in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Southampton have initiated a series of reliability studies with the novel MyotonPRO device on healthy adults. The Faculty of Health Sciences is known internationally for its research programs on rehabilitation technologies, cancer and care at the end of life, and workforce and urgent care.
The aims of the studies at Southampton are to examine the inter- and intra-observer, as well as variability of results found between healthy adults taken by MyotonPRO in different muscles. The following hypotheses will be studied:
- High inter- and intra-observer repeatability of measurements
- Measurements of muscles on different occasions will be consistent provided they are taken under the same recording conditions
Data collection for these reliability factors has been completed to date involving four MSc students and a PhD student. Data analysis is in progress and a paper is being prepared for submission to a scientific journal in the final quarter of 2011.
These studies are important in establishing the reliability of this new device in preparation for a number of follow-on studies. These will involve comparison of various populations, including healthy individuals of different ages, genders and levels of physical activity (across the spectrum from elite athletes to sedentary people) to understand how muscle properties change with lifestyle. The Southampton team is also keen to study patients with different conditions that affect muscle function, such as musculoskeletal disorders and neurological diseases, to see how muscles can be measured and their response to various rehabilitative treatments can be quantified objectively, non-invasively and quickly.
Principal Investigator at University of Southampton is Professor Maria Stokes PhD MCSP, Chair in Neuromusculoskeletal Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Health Sciences.
