Reliability of sagittal pelvic position assessments in standing, sitting and during hip flexion using palpation meter

The objective of this study was to investigate reliability of assessing sagittal pelvic position using the palpation meter (PALM) in healthy subjects while sitting, standing and while in different hip flexion angles in standing. Twenty healthy subjects were assessed two times by the same examiner, with a 48-h interval between test sessions. Reliability indices of PALM measures (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC) were calculated. ICC values showed excellent intra-rater reliability for measurements of sagittal pelvic position in standing and sitting position and for both standing hip flexion angles (ICC = .89-.96). SEM values ranged from .5° (hip flexion 90°) to 1.5° (sitting position). SDC values ranged from 1.5° (hip flexion 90°) to 4.0° (sitting position). The results of this study showed excellent intra-rater reliability for assessing sagittal pelvic position in standing, sitting and hip flexion in healthy subjects using the PALM.