Measuring Ankle Movement Reliability
Author Information
Author(s): Menadue Collette, Raymond Jacqueline, Kilbreath Sharon L, Refshauge Kathryn M, Adams Roger
Primary Institution: School of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Hypothesis
The study aimed to establish the reliability of goniometry as used in clinical practice for measuring active inversion and eversion range of motion at the ankle.
Conclusion
Ankle inversion and eversion range of motion can be measured with high reliability by the same observer within sessions, but reliability varies between observers and sessions.
Supporting Evidence
- Within session intra-observer reliability ranged from ICC[2,1] 0.82 to 0.96.
- Between session intra-observer reliability ranged from ICC[2,1] 0.42 to 0.80.
- Reliability was higher for inversion measurements compared to eversion measurements.
Takeaway
This study shows that measuring how much your ankle can move in and out is pretty reliable if the same person does it each time, but different people might get different results.
Methodology
Thirty subjects had their ankle movement measured by three observers using goniometers in sitting and prone positions over two sessions.
Potential Biases
Observers were not blinded to the measurements, which could introduce expectation bias.
Limitations
The study did not account for potential interdependence of leg measurements and relied on subjective landmark identification.
Participant Demographics
30 subjects, 20 females and 11 males, aged between 21 and 59 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Confidence Interval
95% confidence intervals for ICC scores
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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