Table 2.
Inter-examiner reliability for the stiffness assessment of the levator scapulae muscle in asymptomatic individuals.
| Variables | Asymptomatic Individuals (n = 33) | Patients with Neck Pain (n = 34) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young’s Modulus (kPa) | Shear Wave Speed (m/s) | Young’s Modulus (kPa) | Shear Wave Speed (m/s) | |
| Mean (n = 268 images) |
27.8 ± 21.4 | 2.78 ± 1.10 | 29.6 ± 19.1 | 2.90 ± 1.00 |
| Experienced examiner (n = 134 images) | 30.7 ± 28.4 | 2.89 ± 1.32 | 31.4 ± 24.0 | 3.00 ± 1.17 |
| Novel examiner (n = 134 images) |
24.9 ± 19.3 | 2.67 ± 1.09 | 27.8 ± 23.3 | 2.79 ± 1.23 |
| Absolute difference | 14.7 ± 8.4 | 0.72 ± 0.36 | 19.5 ± 10.2 | 1.01 ± 0.50 |
| ICC3,2 (95% CI) | 0.714 (0.533; 0.825) | 0.779 (0.639; 0.865) | 0.461 (0.127; 0.668) | 0.546 (0.265; 0.720) |
| SEM | 11.4 | 0.51 | 14.0 | 0.67 |
| MDC95 | 31.7 | 1.43 | 38.9 | 1.86 |
| CV (%) | 52.8 | 25.9 | 65.9 | 34.8 |
SEM and MDC95 are expressed in the units described for each metric.