Intra-Rater and Inter-Rater Reliability Analysis of Muscle-Tone Evaluation Using a Myotonometer for Children with
Heeae Seo1, Jeongseon Kim2, Changseon Yu3
1Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate School, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea.
Insights
The myotonometer shows excellent reliability for measuring muscle tone in children with developmental disabilities (DD). This tool offers objective, quick, and convenient muscle tone assessment for clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Physical Therapy
- Neuromuscular Assessment
- Developmental Disabilities Research
Background:
- Muscle tone assessment is crucial for diagnosing, predicting outcomes, and planning treatments for children with developmental disabilities (DD).
- Objective and reliable tools are needed to standardize muscle tone measurements in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the myotonometer for assessing muscle tone in children with DD.
- To determine the measurement error using standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change (MDC).
Main Methods:
- Twenty-six children diagnosed with DD participated in the study.
- Two physical therapists used a myotonometer to measure muscle tone across various muscles.
- Reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), SEM, and MDC.
Main Results:
- Excellent intra-rater reliability was observed for most muscles (ICC = 0.75–0.78), with good reliability for the biceps brachii (ICC = 0.68).
- Excellent inter-rater reliability was found across all measured muscles (ICC = 0.75–0.95).
- The SEM and MDC values indicated minimal measurement errors.
Conclusions:
- The myotonometer demonstrates good to excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for muscle tone assessment in children with DD.
- The myotonometer is a reliable tool for objective, quick, and convenient muscle tone measurement in clinical settings for children with DD.
Abstract:
Assessing muscle tone is an essential component of the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning of developmental disabilities (DD) in children and is of great help in developing clinical diagnosis patterns. The purpose of this study was to investigate intra-rater and inter-rater reliability using the myotonometer, which is an assessment tool to measure muscle tone in children with DD. This study included 26 children diagnosed with DD. Two physical therapists measured the children's muscle tone using a myotonometer. For all the muscles measured, reliability was determined using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), the standard measurement error (SEM), and the minimal detectable change (MDC). The intra-rater reliability for all muscles was excellent (ICC = 0.75~0.78), except for the biceps brachii (ICC = 0.68). The inter-rater reliability was also excellent for all muscles (ICC = 0.75~0.95), and the SEM and MDC showed small measurement errors. Therefore, the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of measurements by the myotonometer was found to be good or excellent. This suggests that the myotonometer is a tool that can objectively assess muscle tone, and it can be utilized in clinical practice to quickly and conveniently measure muscle tone in children with DD.
