Validation of a Novel device for Assessing Neck Muscle Strength.
Michail Arvanitidis, Hon Hin Ken Mak, Eduardo Martinez-Valdes and 2 others
PMID 40510875WHAT IT FOUND
The NOD handheld dynamometer matches the standard Multi-Cervical Unit for measuring neck extension strength.
It is less accurate for neck flexion, where the device tends to underestimate force compared to the fixed unit.
Key findings
01The NOD device showed good to excellent agreement with the Multi-Cervical Unit (MCU) for neck extension strength, with a correlation coefficient of 0.954.
02Agreement for neck flexion was lower, ranging from poor to good, with a correlation coefficient of 0.705.
03The NOD demonstrated good to excellent reliability for both neck flexion and extension when used by different raters or the same rater over time.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only young, healthy adults (mean age 20.7) with no neck pain, so results may not apply to patients with neck conditions or older adults. The sample size was small (20 participants), which limits the generalizability of the findings. Reliability was tested with only two raters, so variability from other examiners is unknown. The handheld nature of the NOD relies on the rater's ability to maintain static resistance, which introduces more variability than the fixed MCU, particularly for flexion.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The research was supported by a grant from the UK Space Agency.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the NOD is equally accurate for all neck directions. It significantly underestimates neck flexion strength compared to the gold standard Multi-Cervical Unit, whereas it performs well for extension. Additionally, expect a learning effect in flexion measurements over repeated sessions.