A portable, pneumatically driven device for measuring passive metatarsophalangeal joint quasi-stiffness

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Medical Device Engineering

Background:

• Assessing passive metatarsophalangeal joint (MPJ) quasi-stiffness is crucial for athletic performance and patient monitoring.
• Existing methods may lack portability for widespread use in training and clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a portable, pneumatically driven device for measuring passive MPJ quasi-stiffness.
• To evaluate the within-day and between-day test-retest reliability of this novel device.

Main Methods:

• A portable, pneumatically driven device was designed to measure passive MPJ quasi-stiffness.
• Nineteen healthy subjects underwent measurements at three time points: two within the same day and one on a separate day within the same week.
• Intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC (3,1)) and Bland-Altman analysis were used to assess reliability and bias.

Main Results:

• The device exhibited excellent within-day test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.999).
• Excellent between-day test-retest reliability was also observed (ICC = 0.993).
• Bland-Altman analysis indicated minimal systematic bias, confirming high consistency.

Conclusions:

• The developed portable device provides highly reliable measurements of passive MPJ quasi-stiffness.
• The device's portability, ease of use, and proven reliability make it suitable for both sports performance and clinical applications.