Reliability of a clinical kinematic assessment of the sit-to-stand movement

We examined the reproducibility of a kinematic assessment of the sit-to-stand movement in 15 healthy subjects using a standardized protocol. We examined the within-rater and between-rater reliability of the assessment using a clinically feasible method, the video-goniometric measurement method, to analyze the task. Two variables were measured to characterize the sit-to-stand movement: 1) joint angles for four body segments (head, trunk, knee, and ankle) and 2) three events (maximal trunk flexion, lift-off, and maximal trunk extension). High reproducibility was found for all joint angles, except for the head angle. Both within-rater and between-rater goniometric measurements were highly reliable (ICC greater than .80). Identification of the events was reproducible within raters and between different raters. We conclude that this method can lead to reliable assessments of a healthy population. The reliability data established in this study can be used to help clinicians determine the impairments of patients.