Clinical Medical College of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China (mainland).
Rehabilitation Therapy Center, Henan Province Orthopedic Hospital, Luoyang, Henan, China (mainland).
Med Sci Monit. 2018 Jul 14;24:4876-4881. doi: 10.12659/MSM.909531.
BACKGROUND The objectives of the present study were to examine the intra- and inter-operator reliability of the MyotonPRO device in quantifying the stiffness of the Achilles tendon and the device's ability to examine the modulation in stiffness of the Achilles tendon during ankle joint flexion. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty asymptomatic participants (10 males and 10 females; mean age: 25.0±3.1 years) were recruited for this study. The stiffness of the Achilles tendon was quantified using the MyotonPRO device. RESULTS The results revealed excellent intra- and inter-operator reliability for quantifying Achilles tendon stiffness with the ankle joint in a neutral position and detected a 13.9% increase in stiffness of the Achilles tendon between 0° and 30° of ankle joint flexion. The minimal detectable change (MDC) in tendon stiffness was 45 Newton/meter (N/m). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicated that the MyotonPRO device is a feasible method to quantify the stiffness of the Achilles tendon and monitor its changes. Thus, it is an essential tool to use to examine the modulation in the stiffness of the Achilles tendon due to pathology or interventions for future studies.
本研究旨在检验 MyotonPRO 设备在定量评估跟腱硬度方面的内-操作者和外-操作者可靠性，以及该设备在检测踝关节弯曲过程中跟腱硬度变化的能力。
本研究招募了 20 名无症状参与者（10 名男性，10 名女性；平均年龄：25.0±3.1 岁）。使用 MyotonPRO 设备定量评估跟腱硬度。
研究结果表明，在踝关节处于中立位时，使用 MyotonPRO 设备定量评估跟腱硬度具有极好的内-操作者和外-操作者可靠性，并检测到踝关节从 0°弯曲到 30°时跟腱硬度增加了 13.9%。跟腱硬度的最小可检测变化（MDC）为 45 牛顿/米（N/m）。
我们的研究结果表明，MyotonPRO 设备是一种可行的定量评估跟腱硬度并监测其变化的方法。因此，它是未来研究中检查跟腱硬度变化的一种重要工具，无论是因病理学还是干预措施引起的变化。
