The intra- and interrater reliability of isometric muscle contractions using a novel fixation system for a hand-held dynamometer

Eur J Sport Sci. 2024 Sep;24(9):1313-1318. doi: 10.1002/ejsc.12148. Epub 2024 Aug 1.

Abstract

A novel fixation system for a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) was designed to enable isometric muscle measurements on various muscle groups of strong, healthy individuals in a field setting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intra- and interrater reliability of the system and determine its suitability for use by multiple researchers within large-scale data collections during field activities. Four researchers tested eight healthy subjects, who each completed eight different maximal isometric muscle strength assessments using the HHD fixation system. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) results were evaluated with a 95% confidence interval. ICC results for interrater reliability demonstrated excellent agreement of all eight measurements tested. ICC results for intrarater reliability demonstrated excellent agreement for six out of eight measurements. This system provides a new opportunity for several different high-quality maximal muscle strength measurements to be collected by multiple data collectors on large numbers of strong, healthy individuals in a field setting.

Keywords: athlete; field assessment; high performance; soldier; strength measurement.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Isometric Contraction* / physiology
  • Male
  • Muscle Strength Dynamometer*
  • Muscle Strength* / physiology
  • Muscle, Skeletal / physiology
  • Observer Variation
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Young Adult