Effectiveness of an Assistive Instrument for Physical Therapists with Visual Impairment to Conduct the Muscle Tightness Test

Shinsuke Tamai, Shusei Kuroda, Takayuki Yabe and Tsunehiko Wada
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Shinsuke Tamai: Doctoral Program in Sports Medicine, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
Shusei Kuroda: Kobe City School for the Visually Impaired, Kobe 650-0044, Japan
Takayuki Yabe: Tottori Prefectural School for the Visually Impaired, Tottori 680-0151, Japan
Tsunehiko Wada: Acupuncture and Physical Therapy Teacher Training School, University of Tsukuba, Bunkyo 112-0012, Japan

Disabilities, 2021, vol. 1, issue 4, 1-10

Abstract: Disability sports have been globally promoted to achieve an inclusive society. However, the current opportunities for people with disabilities are few in terms of participating in supporting positions, such as athletic trainers. In Japan, many people with visual impairment (VI) work as physical therapists; thus, they can become active as medical staff in the sports field. An example of a medical assessment is the muscle tightness test (MTT); however, conducting it is expected to be difficult for people with VI. To improve this difficulty, the current study developed an assistive instrument (AsI) and examined its effectiveness. We recruited 22 physical therapists with VI. The measurement for MTT targeted the hamstrings, iliopsoas, gastrocnemius, and quadriceps. The participants performed the MTT using a universal goniometer (UG) and the AsI and filled up a questionnaire. AsI was compared against UG based on three aspects, namely, ease, accuracy, and measurement time. In terms of ease, significant differences were observed in 9 out of 12 questionnaire items. The mean (SD) score for “Comprehensive ease of the MTT” improved from 2.8 (1.0) to 3.9 (0.8). For accuracy, the AsI yielded a decrease in the total error of the measurement. Lastly, the measurement time for AsI was longer than that for the UG. Therefore, the AsI was effective in terms of ease and accuracy, whereas measurement time remained as an issue.

Keywords: visual impairment; athletic trainers; assessments; medical support; disability sports (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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