• Romero-Franco N
• Jiménez-Reyes P
• Fernández-Domínguez JC

• Affiliation / King Juan Carlos University. Sports Sciences Department
• Affiliation / University of the Balearic Islands. Nursing and Physiotherapy Department
• Affiliation(G) / Spain / Madrid
• Affiliation(G) / Spain / Palma de Mallorca
• Isometric Contraction
• Muscle Strength Dynamometer
• Neck Muscles / physiology

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the concurrent validity and reliability of a low-cost digital dynamometer to assess maximal isometric strength in neck movements.

Methods: Twelve recreationally active participants (6 women, 6 men; age: 24.1 ± 3.4 years; height: 1.71 ± 0.06 m; weight: 64.6 ± 11.7 kg) performed neck flexion, extension, and lateral flexion, and maximal isometric strength was simultaneously measured using an isokinetic dynamometer (gold standard) and a digital dynamometer to evaluate the concurrent validity of the latter. One week later, all the participants repeated 3 trials of each neck movement (3 minutes apart) registered only with the digital dynamometer. The first and second trial were guided by tester 1 and the third trial was guided by tester 2.

Results: The concurrent validity of the digital dynamometer showed a nearly perfect correlation between both devices (r > 0.986, P < .001), with Bland-Altman plots showing absolute agreement. Intertester and intratester reliability were nearly perfect for all neck movements (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.86).

Conclusion: The low-cost digital dynamometer showed valid and reliable measurements of maximal isometric strength in neck movements.

Author keywords: Muscle Strength Dynamometer; Isometric Contraction; Reproducibility of Results

Author affiliations: NRF, JCFD: Nursing and Physiotherapy Department, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain; PJR: Sports Sciences Department, King Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain

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