Dynamic Indentation-Based Estimation of Thenar Muscle Viscoelasticity in Dominant and Non-dominant Hands

In this study, analysis of the variation in the stiffness of Thenar muscle for dominant and non-dominant hands is carried out using myotonometry. For this purpose, 22 young healthy right-dominant volunteers are recruited, and myotonometry signal has been bilaterally acquired from the Thenar muscle belly. The myotonometric parameters, Dynamic Stiffness (DS) and Logarithmic Decrement (LoD) has been extracted to be compared between the two hands. Bilateral association is investigated using Linear Regression analysis. The myotonometric parameters is found to be reliable with the ICC > 0.8 for DS. The stiffness is found to be higher on the dominant side when compared to the non-dominant side while there is no definitive pattern observed for LoD. The viscoelastic properties are found to be significantly different between the male and female sub groups. The results can be clinically relevant characterizing APB muscle properties in healthy condition.