1. Intra- and inter-operator reliability of measuring compressive stiffness of the patellar tendon in volleyball players using a handheld digital palpation device.
- Author
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van Dam L, Terink R, van den Akker-Scheek I, and Zwerver J
- Subjects
- Humans, Male, Female, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult, Adult, Range of Motion, Articular physiology, Knee Joint physiology, Adolescent, Biomechanical Phenomena, Observer Variation, Volleyball physiology, Patellar Ligament physiology, Palpation instrumentation, Palpation methods
- Abstract
This observational study aimed to evaluate the intra- and inter-operator reliability of a digital palpation device in measuring compressive stiffness of the patellar tendon at different knee angles in talent and elite volleyball players. Second aim was to examine differences in reliability when measuring at different knee angles, between dominant and non-dominant knees, between sexes, and with age. Two operators measured stiffness at the midpoint of the patellar tendon in 45 Dutch volleyball players at 0°, 45° and 90° knee flexion, on both the dominant and non-dominant side. We found excellent intra-operator reliability (ICC>0.979). For inter-operator reliability, significant differences were found in stiffness measured between operators (p<0.007). The coefficient of variance significantly decreased with increasing knee flexion (2.27% at 0°, 1.65% at 45° and 1.20% at 90°, p<0.001). In conclusion, the device appeared to be reliable when measuring compressive stiffness of the patellar tendon in elite volleyball players, especially at 90° knee flexion. Inter-operator reliability appeared to be questionable. More standardized positioning and measurement protocols seem necessary., Competing Interests: All authors affirm that they have no financial affiliation (including research funding) or involvement with any commercial organization that has a direct financial interest in any matter included in this manuscript., (Copyright: © 2024 van Dam et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
- Published
- 2024
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