1. Test-Retest Cross-Reliability of Tests to Assess Neuromuscular Function as a Multidimensional Concept
- Author
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Dalia Mickeviciene, Neringa Baranauskiene, Marius Brazaitis, Daiva Imbrasiene, Kazimieras Pukenas, Nerijus Eimantas, and Vaida Bernecke
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Computer science ,Electromyography ,Reproducibility of Results ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,General Medicine ,Function (mathematics) ,Electric Stimulation ,Test (assessment) ,Reliability engineering ,Young Adult ,Isometric Contraction ,Physical therapy ,medicine ,Humans ,Orthopedics and Sports Medicine ,Female ,Muscle, Skeletal ,Reliability (statistics) - Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to estimate the test-retest cross-reliability of peripheral and central changes with respect to nonlinear and linear measures of a surface electromyography (EMG) signal measured during isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) combined with superimposed electrical stimulation during a brief and fatiguing task involving the ankle plantar flexors over 2 follicular phases of menstrual cycle. Ten healthy female adults underwent 1 familiarization session and 5 identical test-retest sessions. The results showed that the decrease in plantar flexor EMG components (root mean square [RMS], mean frequency [MnF], wavelet packet entropy [WPE]) for soleus and gastrocnemius muscles, central activation ratio (CAR) and MVC, and contractile properties (P20, P100, PTT-100, and half-relaxation time) of the plantar flexor muscles at the end of 2-minute MVC were similar (time effect; p0.001, η(p)²0.7, statistical power [SP]99%) and exhibited high stability over 5 trials (trial effect; p0.05; η(p)²0.2, SP30%). High reliability between trials was found for 5-second MVC (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]0.82, p0.001) and meaningful reliability for 2-minute MVC (ICC0.66, p0.01). In conclusion, in young healthy women, measurements of neuromuscular function, such as RMS, MnF, and WPE of a surface EMG signal, MVC, and CAR from a brief and sustained MVC of the ankle plantar flexors, are reliable, and multidimensional stability was found with respect to both high and low correlation outcomes across the 5 identical test-retest trials of any 2 properties measured during brief and sustained MVC.
- Published
- 2015