Open AccessEffect of knee angle on neuromuscular assessment of plantar flexor muscles: A reliability study
Author(s) -
Angèle N. Merlet,
Thomas Cattagni,
Christophe Cornu,
Marc Jubeau
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0195220
Subject(s) - intraclass correlation , reliability (semiconductor) , flexor muscles , plantar flexion , physical medicine and rehabilitation , medicine , orthodontics , session (web analytics) , physical therapy , anatomy , physics , computer science , ankle , clinical psychology , power (physics) , quantum mechanics , world wide web , psychometrics
This study aimed to determine the intra- and inter-session reliability of neuromuscular assessment of plantar flexor (PF) muscles at three knee angles. Methods Twelve young adults were tested for three knee angles (90°, 30° and 0°) and at three time points separated by 1 hour (intra-session) and 7 days (inter-session). Electrical (H reflex, M wave) and mechanical (evoked and maximal voluntary torque, activation level) parameters were measured on the PF muscles. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation were calculated to determine intra- and inter-session reliability. Results The mechanical measurements presented excellent (ICC>0.75) intra- and inter-session reliabilities regardless of the knee angle considered. The reliability of electrical measurements was better for the 90° knee angle compared to the 0° and 30° angles. Conclusions Changes in the knee angle may influence the reliability of neuromuscular assessments, which indicates the importance of considering the knee angle to collect consistent outcomes on the PF muscles.