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A New and Reliable Way to Measure Muscles

You've probably heard products advertised on radio or TV that as reliable. People have come to count on reliability. It tells us we can trust that product. We can depend on it.

In the health care world, doctors and physical therapists need reliable ways to measure muscle tone, strength, and stiffness. A new device is ready to help them. It's called a myotonometer®.

This device is quick and easy to use. It can be test muscles at rest and during contraction in a variety of patients. Therapists can measure before and after treatment to see if the treatment is effective. The effects of long-term bed rest can be measured. Even athletes can benefit from this kind of testing.

The myotonometer® is a handheld, electronic device developed by a physical therapist, Chuck Leonard. It has been tested before with several medical conditions such as headache and spasticity. In this study, two muscle groups are tested: the calf and biceps muscles.

The authors report that the device was reliable for testing the muscle tone and stiffness of these two muscles. This was true for relaxed and contracted muscles. It was also true when different people used it to take the measurements. And it was reliable each time the same therapist used it.

This study confirms the benefits of using a myotonometer®. The test doesn't depend on the tester's strength. The patient doesn't have to move a muscle or joint through a range of motion. This can be especially useful when the patient has pain or doesn't have full motion.

References: Charles T. Leonard, PH, PhD, et al. Myotonometer Intra- and Inter-rater Reliabilities. In Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. June 2003. Vol. 84. No. 6. Pp. 928-932.

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