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Evaluating Postural Control and Lower-extremity Muscle Activation in Individuals with Chronic Ankle Instability
Published on: September 18, 2020
Reliability of a functional clinical test battery evaluating postural control, proprioception and trunk muscle
Veerle K Stevens1, Katie G Bouche, Nele N Mahieu
1Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine the repeatability and reproducibility of the different tests of a clinical test battery evaluating the components of functional spinal stability: postural control (sway velocity data), proprioception (repositioning error), and muscle activation (electromyographic data).
Design:
A total of 28 healthy volunteers participated in this study: 14 in the repeatability study and 14 in the reproducibility study. Each subject was tested three times, with an interval of 1 wk between the test sessions. The intraclass correlation coefficients and the standard error of the measurements as a percentage of the grand mean were calculated.
Results:
The intraclass correlation coefficients for both the repeatability and the reproducibility evaluation showed good to excellent reliability for all variables (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.60-0.98). The standard error of the measurements as a percentage of the grand mean ranged from 0.004 to 19.94.
Conclusions:
The functional clinical test battery investigated in this study proved to be a reliable tool in the assessment of healthy subjects. The evaluation of postural control, proprioception, and muscle activity (coordination, stabilization, maximal voluntary isometric contraction, endurance, and flexion-relaxation) showed good to excellent repeatability and reproducibility. Further analysis of the reliability of these variables in a clinical setting, particularly in patients with low back pain, seems appropriate.
