MyotonPro Is a Valid Device for Assessing Wrist Biomechanical Stiffness in Healthy Young Adults

• Published in: Frontiers in sports and active living Vol. 4; p. 797975
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Anh Phong, Detrembleur, Christine, Fisette, Paul, Selves, Clara, Mahaudens, Philippe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 21.02.2022
• Subjects: elastic; musculoskeletal; myofascial stiffness; myotonometry; Sports and Active Living; viscoelasticity; viscous; myofascial stiffness; elastic; musculoskeletal; myotonometry; viscous; viscoelasticity
• ISSN: 2624-9367; 2624-9367
• DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2022.797975

The MyotonPro is a portable device for measuring biomechanical and viscoelastic properties in superficial soft tissues. The aims of this study are firstly to validate the MyotonPro compared to a reliable gold-standard frame and secondly to observe the influence of MyotonPro measurement on the total wrist viscoelasticity. Three silicone polymers with different elastic properties were assessed with the MyotonPro and with a reference rheometer (Universal Tribometer Mod). Then, a free oscillations method was used to measure the passive elastic and viscous stiffness of the wrist and compared to MyotonPro forearm measurements. A one-way ANOVA demonstrated the validity of the MyotonPro's stiffness ( = 0.001), decrement ( < 0.001), and relaxation ( = 0.008) parameters for measuring the elastic stiffness ( ) of the three polymers. The MyotonPro parameters demonstrated excellent reliability on the forearm. Proximal and distal anterior myofascial measurements of the MyotonPro were moderately correlated to the elastic stiffness ( = 0.0027-0.0275, absolute = from 0.270 to 0.375) of the wrist while the postero-distal myofascial tissues of the forearm demonstrated a moderate correlation with the viscous stiffness of the wrist ( = 0.0096-0.0433, absolute = from 0.257 to 0.326). The MyotonPro is a valid device for measuring elastic stiffness as well as a portable, affordable, and easy-to-use tool for quantifying the biomechanical properties and viscoelasticity of myofascial tissue in healthy subjects.