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Reliability of a device designed to measure ankle mobility
L Harvey1, A Byak, M Ostrovskaya
1Moorong Spinal Injury Unit, Royal Rehabilitation Centre Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Spinal Cord
|September 25, 2003
Summary
This study found that a footplate device reliably measures ankle mobility in individuals with spinal cord injuries. The simple device offers consistent results for assessing ankle range of motion in clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
- Clinical Measurement
Background:
- Assessing ankle mobility is crucial for individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI).
- Existing methods for measuring ankle mobility may have limitations in clinical settings.
- Reliable and simple measurement tools are needed for SCI patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of a novel footplate device for measuring ankle mobility.
- To determine the clinical utility of this device in patients with SCI.
- To provide data supporting the use of this device in SCI rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- A repeated measures design was employed.
- 15 patients with recent paraplegia or tetraplegia were recruited.
- Ankle mobility was measured twice using an inclinometer on a footplate, with standardized stretch torque.
Main Results:
- High reliability was demonstrated with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.95.
- 77% of measurements agreed within 3 degrees, and 97% agreed within 6 degrees between sessions.
- The device provided consistent ankle range of motion measurements.
Conclusions:
- The footplate device is a reliable and simple tool for measuring ankle mobility in SCI patients.
- This device can be effectively used in clinical settings for SCI rehabilitation.
- The findings support the adoption of this device for routine patient assessment.