The Cumberland ankle instability tool: a report of validity and reliability testing

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Functional ankle instability is a common condition affecting many individuals.
• Accurate assessment tools are crucial for effective management and treatment planning.
• The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) is a proposed measure for assessing this condition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) for measuring functional ankle instability severity.
• To establish the psychometric properties of the CAIT in a general community sample.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 236 volunteer participants.
• Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing CAIT scores with the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) and a visual analog scale (VAS).
• Construct validity, internal reliability, discriminant ability, and test-retest reliability were analyzed using Rasch analysis and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).

Main Results:

• The CAIT showed significant correlations with LEFS (rho=.50) and VAS (rho=.76), indicating good concurrent validity.
• Internal reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=.83), and test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC(2,1)=.96).
• The optimal threshold score for identifying functional ankle instability was 27.5, with a sensitivity of 82.9% and specificity of 74.7%.

Conclusions:

• The Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) is a simple, valid, and reliable instrument for assessing the severity of functional ankle instability.
• The CAIT is suitable for use in clinical and research settings for evaluating patients with ankle instability.