2012 Volume 15 Issue 1 Pages 41-47
The purpose of this study was to examine inter- and intra-rater reliability of isometric muscle strength measurements using a hand-held dynamometer (HHD) fixed to the pillar or treatment plinth leg by a belt. Ten healthy subjects (5 male and 5 female which totals to 20 lower extremities) participated in this study. Two raters used a HHD to measure the maximum isometric muscle strength twice for the following muscle groups : extensors of the knee; dorsiflexors, plantar flexors, evertors, invertors of the ankle. Inter and intra-rater reliability were evaluated using the intra-class correlation coefficients(ICC). The results of ICC (ICC1.1, 1.2/ICC2.1, 2.2) were 0.86, 0.94/0.84, 0.96(knee flexors), 0.94, 0.97/0.94, 0.97 (ankle dorsiflexors), 0.98, 0.99/0.97, 0.98 (ankle plantar flexors), 0.90, 0.94/0.92, 0.98 (ankle evertors), 0.80, 0.91/0.91, 0.97 (ankle invertors). These results show that this method can be performed clinically with high reliability