TY - JOUR A1 - Bittmann, Frank N. A1 - Dech, Silas A1 - Aehle, Markus A1 - Schaefer, Laura V. T1 - Manual Muscle Testing—Force Profiles and Their Reproducibility JF - Diagnostics N2 - The manual muscle test (MMT) is a flexible diagnostic tool, which is used in many disciplines, applied in several ways. The main problem is the subjectivity of the test. The MMT in the version of a “break test” depends on the tester’s force rise and the patient’s ability to resist the applied force. As a first step, the investigation of the reproducibility of the testers’ force profile is required for valid application. The study examined the force profiles of n = 29 testers (n = 9 experiences (Exp), n = 8 little experienced (LitExp), n = 12 beginners (Beg)). The testers performed 10 MMTs according to the test of hip flexors, but against a fixed leg to exclude the patient’s reaction. A handheld device recorded the temporal course of the applied force. The results show significant differences between Exp and Beg concerning the starting force (padj = 0.029), the ratio of starting to maximum force (padj = 0.005) and the normalized mean Euclidean distances between the 10 trials (padj = 0.015). The slope is significantly higher in Exp vs. LitExp (p = 0.006) and Beg (p = 0.005). The results also indicate that experienced testers show inter-tester differences and partly even a low intra-tester reproducibility. This highlights the necessity of an objective MMT-assessment. Furthermore, an agreement on a standardized force profile is required. A suggestion for this is given. KW - manual muscle testing KW - neuromuscular diagnostics KW - force profiles KW - reproducibility KW - adaptive force KW - handheld device Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10120996 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 10 IS - 12 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER -