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Published:
May 31, 2022DOI:
10.4314/gmj.v56i2.4Keywords:
Article Details
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Main Article Content
Feasibility and reliability of measuring muscle stiffness in Parkinson’s Disease using MyotonPRO device in a clinical setting in Ghana
Abstract
Objectives: To examine the feasibility and within-session reliability of Myoton technology to measure muscle stiff-ness objectively in people with Parkinson’s disease in an outpatient setting
Design: An exploratory quantitative study design was used.
Setting: The study was conducted in the outpatient physiotherapy department of a Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Par-ticipants were recruited from three sites.
Participants: Thirty adults with Parkinson’s disease over 18 years with increased tone (muscle stiffness) and at Hoehn and Yahr Stages I-III were studied. Persons with severe co-morbidities were excluded.
Intervention: There was no intervention before testing. The MyotonPRO device measured the mechanical properties of the biceps brachii, flexor carpi radialis and tibialis anterior muscles in a relaxed supine position. The probe applied mechanical impulses to the skin, eliciting tissue oscillations. The muscles’ three parameters (stiffness, non-neural tone and elasticity) were recorded bilaterally. The reliability of two sets (of 5 impulses) of Myoton data on all three muscles was examined.
Results: All 30 participants (66.3±8.9 years) were recruited and tested within eight weeks. Intraclass correlation co-efficients (ICC 3,2) were above 0.92 for biceps brachii and tibialis anterior and above 0.86 for flexor carpi radialis.
Conclusion: The MyotonPRO was reliable for measuring two sets of data within the same session, indicating that only one set of measurements is needed. The technique is feasible and easy to use in a clinical setting in Ghana, with the potential to assess the effect of medical and physiotherapy interventions on muscles in people with Parkinson’s disease.
