Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026
Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis of Healthy Participants
Published on: April 15, 2020
Reliability of Common Lower Extremity Biomechanical Measures of Children With and Without Obesity
Jennifer Tucker1, Megan Moore, Julie Rooy
1Department of Health Professions (Drs Tucker, Moore, Rooy, Wright, and Rothschild), Program in Physical Therapy, University of Central Florida, Orlando; Division of Pediatrics (Dr Werk), Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando, Florida.
Purpose:
To determine intrarater and interrater reliability of common measures of lower extremity alignment among children with obesity.
Methods:
The Craig test for femoral anteversion, tibiofemoral angle, Foot Posture Index-6, and sit-and-reach test were performed on 25 children without obesity and 25 children with obesity.
Results:
Intrarater reliability of all measures in both groups was high. The Craig test demonstrated greatest variability with slight interrater reliability in children who were nonobese [intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] (95% confidence interval [CI]), 0.372 (-0.051 to 0.6420)] and moderate reliability in children who were obese [ICC (95% CI), 0.527 (0.242 to 0.717)]. Interrater reliability for the tibiofemoral angle and Foot Posture Index-6 was moderate to substantial and for the sit-and-reach test was substantial (ICC >0.99) and highly correlated. Measurement of lower extremity alignment among children with obesity was more reproducible than among children who were not obese.
Conclusions:
Measures of lower extremity alignment and general flexibility in children with obesity are both reproducible and reliable.
