Reliability of Myotonometry in Swimming Athletes
Condition: Athletes
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The clinical analysis of athletes has been performed in the sports field to obtain parameters
      for reliable evaluations. Among the tools used is the myotonometry, an analysis capable of
      quantitatively measuring tone, stiffness and elasticity. Its reliability has been tested in
      several populations, however, showing changes in results and presenting high variability in
      the confidence interval, also, the values of myotonometry differ according to sample
      specificity and the biomechanical properties of each muscle. Therefore, it seems pertinent to
      perform the reliability analysis in swimming athletes and verify their applicability and if
      the values of tone and muscular biomechanical properties vary according to the specificity of
      the modality. It will be a test and retest study composed of 50 young male and female
      swimming athletes, aged between 12 and 20 years. The evaluation of myotonometry will be
      performed randomly by two evaluators and the parameters measured will be: tone, stiffness,
      elasticity, relaxation time of mechanical stress and displacement. In the test stage, the
      first evaluator will perform the measurements bilaterally on the muscles and the second
      evaluator will perform the same measurements in the same order immediately after the first
      one. After 15 minutes, the retest will be performed following the same order of evaluators in
      the test. For characterization of sample will be used descriptive statistic through central
      tendency and variability for all variables collected. Relative reliability will be tested by
      the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Absolute reliability will be verified by means
      of standard error of measurement (SEM), values of least detectable change (MMD) and
      coefficient of variation (CV). The statistical package SPSS Statistics 22.0 will be used to
      conduct the reliability analyses.
    


Intervention name(s): Myotonometry
Intervention type(s): Device
Intervention description(s): The examiner should exert a slight pressure on the determined point to the necessary depth, which will be indicated by changing the color from red to green light on the device. The device has an automatically controlled preload (0.18 Newton (N)) that will be applied to the contact area by an automatic mechanical pulse, with a duration of 15 milliseconds (ms) and a constant force of 0.4 N , these oscillations will be registered by an accelerometer next to the measurement mechanism inside the device. For each evaluation, a series of 10 consecutive pulses (multiscan mode) will be used with an interval of one second between each pulse. In each shot, the tone, stiffness, elasticity, relaxation time and creep will be calculated.
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Young swimming athletes who regularly train and are members of the swimming teams of the
        4th region of the state of São Paulo, of the São Paulo Aquatic Federation (FAP), of the
        cities of Presidente Prudente, Votuporanga and São José do Rio Preto.