Description
In this study we aimed to determine whether the myrecovery© app can be used as a valid proxy for tracking exposure time to re-injury by evaluating the association between activity parameters measured using the myrecovery© Smartphone app and detailed activity journals collected through self-report. We prospectively selected active patients (patients awaiting an HTO or patients at least 9 months following ACL reconstruction (ACLR)) of various sex, age, sport, and activity level (none, recreational, competitive, varsity/elite). Participants tracked their daily exposure to activity for 4 weeks and were encouraged to carry around their device with myrecovery© activated at all times unless not permitted by the rules of the sport. Activities from the diary were converted to metabolic equivalent of task (1kcal/kg/hr) per minute (MET/min) as per Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) scoring instructions. At the end the 4 week period patients completed a Marx Activity Rating Scale (MARX) to denote their activity intensity over the past month. We analyzed data from 15 pre-HTO patients (27% female; age 55 ± 6 years) and 37 ACLR patients (43% female; age 25 ± 8 years). The average association per week between MET/min and step count was r = 0.31 (p = 0.04*) for the HTO group and r = 0.15 for the ACL group (p = 0.13). The low correlation for the ACLR group may be due to the rules of sport preventing the athlete from carrying their device during play. The average association per month between the ACL group’s MET/min and Marx was r = 0.44 (p = 0.02*). The Marx was a good predictor of exposure time for athletes and could be distributed monthly as a more efficient/adhered-to method of approximating exposure when returning to sport after ACLR. Since functionally active adults often reported a Marx score of 0, because the questionnaire outlines movements most common while playing sports, the myrecovery© app could be used as an effective alternative.
