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Can Clinician-Stabilization with Hand-Held Dynamometry Yield a Reliable Measure of Knee Flexion Torque?
Daniel Larson1, Daniel Lorenz1, Brittany Melton2
1Physical Therapy, OrthoKansas/Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy
|October 14, 2022
Summary
Two clinically efficient methods for assessing knee flexion torque with hand-held dynamometry demonstrated good to excellent reliability. The prone method showed greater sensitivity for detecting changes in knee flexion torque over time.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Clinical Measurement
Background:
- Assessing knee flexion torque is crucial for monitoring rehabilitation progress after injuries and surgeries.
- Reliable methods for measuring knee flexion torque using hand-held dynamometry often require external stabilization.
- Clinically efficient methods for clinician-stabilized knee flexion torque assessment are limited in current literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of two clinically efficient methods for assessing isometric knee flexion torque.
- To evaluate the reliability of hand-held dynamometry with clinician-stabilization in seated and prone positions.
- To test the hypothesis that both methods would yield good to excellent reliability.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 20 healthy individuals assessed by two clinicians on two separate days.
- Isometric knee flexion torque was measured using hand-held dynamometry in two positions: seated (hip/knee at 90°) and prone (hip at 0°, knee at 90°).
- Clinician stabilization techniques were employed for the dynamometer in both positions.
Main Results:
- The seated method demonstrated inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.88-0.94) and intra-rater reliability (ICC: 0.77-0.90).
- The prone method showed excellent inter-rater reliability (ICC: 0.84-0.96) and intra-rater reliability (ICC: 0.89-0.94).
- Minimum Detectable Change (MDC) values were 30-62% for the seated method and 21-40% for the prone method.
Conclusions:
- Both seated and prone clinician-stabilized methods using hand-held dynamometry provide good to excellent reliability for assessing knee flexion torque.
- The prone method may offer superior sensitivity in detecting changes in knee flexion torque over time due to its lower MDC values.
- These findings support the use of these efficient methods in clinical settings for rehabilitation monitoring.
