Description:
Objectives: To investigate inter and intra-rater reliability of hand held (HHD) and externally fixed (EFD) dynamometry for shoulder internal (IR) and external rotation (ER) strength and their correlation to isokinetic testing. Design: Within participant, inter and intra-rater reliability study. Participants: Twenty active, healthy male and female participants underwent testing by two examiners. Outcome measures: Intra-class coefficients (ICC), percentage standard error of measurement (%SEM), and percentage minimal detectable change (%MDC) were calculated for inter-rater, intra-day and intra-rater, inter-week reliability. Maximum and average of three repetitions were compared to the isokinetic results at three speeds (60 degrees/sec, 180 degrees/sec, 240 degrees/sec) for both concentric and eccentric contractions. Results: Inter and intra-tester values demonstrated good to high agreement (HHD, ICC range = 0.89 -0.97, %SEM = 4.80-8.60%, %MDC = 13.29-23.70%; EFD, ICC = 0.88-0.96, %SEM = 6.60-11.00%, % MDC = 18.40-30.04%). HHD and EFD showed moderate to very strong correlations to the isokinetic testing (HHD, r = 0.45-0.86; EFD, r = 0.49-0.83). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that both EFD and HI-ID are suitable for clinical practice and research. Hand-held dynamometry is preferred due to its higher intra- and inter-rater reliability and smaller MDC and lower SEM. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Description:
Objectives: To evaluate the inter-tester reliability of two common tests for assessing hip and groin injuries, using a protocol closely reflecting normal clinical conditions. Design: Same-session, single-trial, inter-tester reliability study. Setting: Elite European football academy. Participants: Two testers and fifty-eight football players aged 14–21 years. Main outcome measures: Inter-tester reliability of the squeeze (in approximately 45° hip flexion) and bent-knee-fall-out (BKFO) tests, evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (two-way mixed, single measure) and minimal detectable change. Results: Both tests demonstrated excellent inter-tester reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.92 (95% CI: 0.87–0.95) for the squeeze test, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.67–0.96) for the BKFO test on the right side and 0.92 (95% CI 0.87–0.95) for BKFO on the left side. The minimal detectable changes were 7.21 mmHg for the squeeze test, 0.95 cm and 0.75 cm for BKFO (right) and BKFO (left) respectively. Conclusion: The squeeze and the BKFO tests demonstrated excellent inter-tester reliability in elite academy football players, using a protocol reflective of normal clinical conditions.