Electromyography and clinical neurophysiology
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Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol · Mar 2000
Intrasession and intersession reliability of the soleus H-reflex in supine and standing positions.
The Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) is a measure of motoneuron pool excitability, which is valuable in determining muscle inhibition caused by joint damage (arthrogenic muscle inhibition). In order to detect changes in H-reflex due to injury, the reliability of such a measurement must be established. The purpose of this study was to establish the intrasession and intersession reliability of soleus H-reflex in a supine and standing position. ⋯ These results indicate that the H-reflex measured using our protocol in a supine and standing position is a reliable assessment within sessions and between sessions. Five measurements are sufficient to observe reliable measurements within a single session. Most importantly, this data shows that the H-reflex is a reliable assessment that may be used to measure small changes in motoneuron pool excitability over time.