Tomita Hajime, Shimizu Yumiko, Kawakami Jumpei, Tashiro Daisuke, Ogawa Masahiro, Tanimukai Hitoshi
Department of Rehabilitation, Kobe Rehabilitation Hospital: 1-18 Shiawasenomura, Kita-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 651-1106, Japan.
Kyoto University, Japan.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2025 Aug;37(8):408-414. doi: 10.1589/jpts.37.408. Epub 2025 Aug 1.
[Purpose] The measurement of muscle mass and thickness to improve preventive care for older adults in community and clinical settings has recently gained attention. Several studies have focused on the thickness of large muscles, such as the trunk and lower limb muscles. However, studies investigating hand muscle atrophy, which hampers daily occupations, are lacking. Therefore, there is a need to measure intrinsic muscle atrophy. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of interdigital muscle thickness measurements using a caliper gauge. [Participants and Methods] This study included 41 healthy young participants. The interdigital muscle thickness was measured in two limb positions with muscle relaxation and contraction using a caliper gauge. Reliability and validity were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and between the interdigital muscle thickness results and other relevant scales. [Results] The results showed high inter- and intra-rater reliability. Additionally, a significant moderate correlation was observed between the interdigital muscle thickness and the other tests regarding criterion-related validity. [Conclusion] Measuring the interdigital muscle thickness using a caliper gauge is a reliable way to evaluate intrinsic muscle thickness. Muscle atrophy between the thumb and index finger is commonly observed in clinical practice. Therefore, measuring muscle atrophy during interdigital muscle thickness or observing finger muscle atrophy may provide useful information in rehabilitation settings.
[目的] 测量肌肉质量和厚度以改善社区和临床环境中老年人的预防保健，最近受到了关注。多项研究聚焦于大肌肉的厚度，如躯干和下肢肌肉。然而，缺乏对妨碍日常活动的手部肌肉萎缩的研究。因此，有必要测量手部固有肌萎缩情况。本研究旨在探讨使用游标卡尺测量指间肌厚度的可靠性和有效性。[参与者与方法] 本研究纳入了41名健康的年轻参与者。使用游标卡尺在肌肉放松和收缩的两种肢体位置测量指间肌厚度。使用组内相关系数以及指间肌厚度结果与其他相关量表之间的关系来评估可靠性和有效性。[结果] 结果显示评分者间和评分者内具有较高的可靠性。此外，在指间肌厚度与其他关于效标关联效度的测试之间观察到显著的中度相关性。[结论] 使用游标卡尺测量指间肌厚度是评估手部固有肌厚度的可靠方法。在临床实践中，拇指和示指之间的肌肉萎缩较为常见。因此，在测量指间肌厚度时测量肌肉萎缩情况或观察手指肌肉萎缩可能在康复环境中提供有用信息。
