• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.37-46
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate intra-rater reliability and determine the validity of electromyography (EMG) measurements to represent muscle activity and ultrasonography (US) to represent muscle thickness during manual muscle testing (MMT) to external abdominal oblique (EO) and lumbar multifidus (MF). Twenty healthy subjects were recruited for this study and asked to perform MMT at differing levels. The subjects' muscle activity using EMG was measured by a ratio to maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and root mean square (RMS) methods. The subjects' muscle thickness using US was measured by raw muscle thickness and change ratio of thickness to maximum (MVC) or resting condition. In three trials, measurements were performed on each subject by one examiner. The intra-rater reliability of measurements of EMG and US to EO and MF was calculated using intra-class coefficients. The intra-rater reliability of all measurements was excellent (ICC=.75~.98) in EMG and US. The conduct validity was calculated by one-way ANOVA with repeated measurements to compare whether the EMG and US measurements were different between MMT at different levels. There was only a significant difference between all grades at %MVC thickness measurement of US. These results suggest that a %MVC thickness measurement of US was a more sensitive and discriminate in all manual muscle testing grades. This information will be useful for the selection of US measurement and analysis methods in clinics.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2017

This paper presents the inter-rater reliability of finger spasticity assessment tested realized by using finger simulator that mimics finger spasticity of patients after a stroke. For controlling the simulator torque, finger spasticity was modeled, and the model parameters were obtained by measuring quantitative data while grading based on Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). A robotic finger simulator was designed for mimicking finger spasticity. Evaluation of this simulator with the help of seven rehabilitation doctors showed that the simulator had a Cohen's kappa value of 0.619 for Metacarpophalangeal Joint and 0.514 for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint. Fleiss' kappa between raters is 0.513 for Metacarpophalangeal Joint and 0.486 for Proximal Interphalangeal Joint. Therefore, the spasticity assessment made by MAS grade system is not reliable owing to the subjectivity of the assessment. The proposed robotic simulator can be used as a training tool for improving the reliability of the spasticity assessment.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.279-285
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to develop new digital navicular drop test (ND-NDT) equipment and to determine its validity and reliability. Methods: A total of 24 healthy male and female adults, who fully understood the purpose of the study and gave consent to participate in the study, were selected as participants. The NDT and ND-NDT were conducted in the dominant foot of the participants in a random order. For the NDT, the position of the navicular bone was marked with a pen first; then, the height of the navicular bone from the ground was measured in both sitting and standing positions. For the ND-NDT, after the sticker-type reflection markers were attached to the position of the navicular bone, the height of the navicular bone from the ground was measured in both sitting and standing positions. To assess the validity of the diagnostic tests, the same examiner measured the height of the medial longitudinal arch (MLA) three times in both the sitting and standing positions. To assess the inter-rater reliability of the ND-NDT, three examiners, in a random order, attached the sticker-type reflection markers to the position of the navicular bone and then measured the height of the MLA in both positions. Results: In the sitting position, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between the two diagnostic tests was very high (r = 0.97) and statistically significant. In the standing position, the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) between the two tests was 0.95, which was also statistically significant. The ICC_2,1 values in the sitting and standing positions were 0.93 and 0.95, respectively, indicating significantly high inter-rater reliability. Conclusion: The ND-NDT equipment showed very high diagnostic validity, as well as excellent inter-rater reliability, indicating the clinical usefulness of the equipment as a diagnostic system for confirming pes planus.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.334-341
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• 2022

Objectives: This study was conducted to develop the Mobility to Participation Assessment Scale for Stroke (MPASS) and assess its content validity, internal consistency, inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, and convergent validity in people with stroke living in the community. Methods: The MPASS was developed using published data on mobility-related activity and participation timing in elderly individuals, and then reviewed by community physical therapists. Content validity was established by reaching a consensus of experienced physical therapists in a focus group. The MPASS was scored for 32 participants with stroke (mean age 61.75±4.92 years) by 3 individual testers. Reliability was examined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), internal consistency using the Cronbach alpha coefficient (α), and convergent validity using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) to compare the MPASS to the Modified Rivermead Mobility Index as a referent test of mobility. Results: The MPASS consists of 8 items, and its scoring system provides information on the ability of people with stroke to reach a movement level enabling them to live in society, including interactions with other people and safe living in the community. The interrater and intra-rater reliability were excellent (ICC, 0.948; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.893 to 0.982 and ICC, 0.967; 95% CI, 0.933 to 0.989, respectively). Internal consistency was good (α=0.877). The convergent validity was moderate (r=0.646; p<0.001). Conclusions: The newly developed MPASS showed acceptable construct validity and high reliability. The MPASS is suitable for use in people with stroke, especially those who have been discharged and live in the community with the ability to initiate sitting.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.137-143
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• 2022

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability analysis of the deep tendon reflex by using electromyography (EMG). Methods : The study was tested on 30 volunteers who are women in their 20s. Using an electronic reflective hammer of EMG, deep tendon reflex was measured on all subjects with the participation of three trained physical therapists as raters. First, the subjects were comfortably seated on a table with their knees bent at 90 °. The three raters tapped the electric hammer at intervals of 10 seconds to avoid habituation until a total of 10 compound muscle action potential records were collected. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to assess the inter-rater reliability of the deep tendon reflex with the use of EMG. The items of analysis included amplitude (mV), latency (ms), duration (ms), and area (mV × ms) of the compound evoked potentials. Results : Based on the average records of 10 compound muscle action potential, excellent reliability (ICC: .912) was achieved in terms of area, and there was good reliability in terms of latency (ICC: .795) and duration (ICC: .800). In the shortest latency of the compound muscle action potential, good reliability was achieved in terms of amplitude (ICC: .865), duration (ICC: .781), and area (ICC: .832). In the amplitude of peak-to-peak of compound muscle action potential, excellent reliability was recorded in terms of amplitude (ICC: .924), and good reliability was recorded in terms of duration (ICC: .801) and area (ICC: .874). Conclusion : The findings in this study indicate that electromyography via an electric hammer is a reliable method of assessing and measuring deep tendon reflexes. Especially, it may be an excellent gauge in the area of average values of the compound muscle action potentials and the amplitude of peak-to-peak of compound muscle action potentials.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.467-474
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• 2017

To investigate the intra-rater absolute reliabilities and validity of the Figure of-Eight Walk test (F8WT) in patients with chronic stroke. A total of 36 subjects with chronic stroke participated in this study. The inter-rater reliability of F8WT was calculated using intra-class correlation coefficients($ICC_{2,1}$). Moreover, we used the standard error measurement (SEM) and the small real difference (SRD) to examine the absolute reliability indices. The validity was demonstrated by a spearman correlation of F8WT with Postural Assessment Scale for Storke(PASS) and Trunk Impairment Scale(TIS). The inter-rater reliability of F8WT was excellent; ICC2,1=0.95(0.91~0.97), acceptable SEM=1.02, and SRD=2.82. F8WT were also found to be significantly associated with PASS(r=-0.82) and TIS(r=-0.85). Therefore, F8WT is a reliable measurement tool and is correlated well with stroke-impairments, such as postural and trunk control. F8WT will be a useful tool in evaluating the walking performance of subjects with chronic stroke.

• Journal of rehabilitation welfare engineering & assistive technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to assess the intra-rater, inter-rater and test-retest reliability and validity of frontal plane lower extremity alignment estimated from a rasterstereographic method using ABW-Mapper. Eighteen subjects participated in this study. The S angle (stereographic angle-frontal plane lower extremity alignment estimated from a rasterstereographic method) in standing was measured throughout the two sessions with one week interval by two different readers. In the first session, a reader measured S angle twice per subject with a short break in-between. The Q-angle (quadriceps angle) was measured using a standard goniometer from a photography taken through digital camera with the participant standing in the same position as in the S angle measurement. The HKA(hip-knee-ankle) angle was measured from a computer based digital radiograph with the computerized measurement software. Reliability was tested using intraclass correlation coefficients(ICC). Validity was tested using a Pearson's correlation coefficient. Excellent intra-rater(ICC=0.956~0.974), inter-rater(ICC=0.962), test-retest reliability (ICC=0.945) were demonstrated. There were strong negative correlations between S angle and Q-angle (r=-0.739), and between S angle and HKA angle (r=-0.702). Therefore, the S angle measured using a rasterstereographic mapper may be used to as a preliminary or supplementary tool to evaluate and study LE alignment in the frontal plane in relation to HKA angle or Q-angle.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1 s.31
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• pp.48-83
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• 1996

Our conclusions for function evaluation tools of Stroke patients are as follows. 1. Evaluating tools of Activities of Daily Living, Katz Index, Barthel Index, Modified Barthel Index have high validity and reliability because of ease of measuring, high accuracy, consistency, sensitivity and sufficient stastistics, but they mainly measure motor function except sense, mentation, language, and social conception. Therefore cerebrovascular disease and brain injury in trauma patients with lacked acknowledgement and sensation, we are not able to apply these tools. 2. PULSES Profile is a useful scale for measuring the patient's over-all status, upper and lower limb functions, sensory components, excretary functions, and intellectual and emotional adaptabilities. It is recognized as a good, useful tool to evaluate patient's whole function. 3. Motor Assessment Scale was designed to measure the progress of stroke patients. The scale was supplemented with upper arm function items. We believe that the Motor Assessment Scale could be a useful evaluation tool with inter-rater reliability ,test-retest reliability. 4. The existing evaluation tools, Katz Index, Barthel Index, Modified Barthel Index, PULSES Profile, Motor Assessment Scale, mainly measured the rehabilitational motor function of sequela of cerebrovascular patients. On the other hand CNS & INH stroke scale can measure cerebrovascular disease patient's neurologic deficits and over-all stautus, which are recognition ability, speech status, motor function, sensory function, activities of daily living. Those scales have been recognized as useful tools to measure function of cerebrovascular disease patients and have increased in use. 5. Every function evaluation tool was recognized to have some validity and inter-rater, test-retest reliability in items of each evaluation tool and total scores of each evaluation tools, but it is thought that none of these scales have been fully validated and proved reliable. Therefore afterward, the development of a highly reliable rating system may best be accomplished by a careful comparison of several tools, using the same patients and the same observers in order to choose the most reliable items from each. 6. Ideal evaluation tools must have the following conditions; (1) It should show the objective functional statues at the same time. (2) It should be repeated consecutively to know changed function status. (3) It should be easy to observe the treatment program. (4) It should have the same result with another rater to help rater exchange information with treatment team members. (5) It should be practical and simple. (6) The patient should not suffer from the observer.

• The Journal of Korean society of community based occupational therapy
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2017

Objective : The purpose of this study was to estimate the reliability of cervical range of motion measurement in healthy adults using smart phone application and goniometer that can be easily applicated in clinical setting. Methods : The cervical range of motion was measured as the flexion, extension, right rotation, left rotation, right lateral flexion, and left lateral flexion. To measure the reliability of intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, the same examiner performed two measurements and the other examiner performed once, total measurement were performed three times. The order of tests was randomized and two examiners didn't know the results of measurements. Results : Thirty healthy adults were participated. The result of this study shows that there were are no significant differences in all movements except the right lateral flexion in comparison of average angle of smart phone application and goniometer. The intra-rater reliability of smart phone application and goniometer showed ICC as .841~.958 and the inter-rater reliability showed ICC as .720~.944 for all movements. Conclusion : These results suggest that smart phone application and goniometer have proven to be reliable in measuring the cervical range of motion. Smart phone application can be used as a useful tool in clinical setting due to fast and accurate measurements of cervical range of motion.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.325-327
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• 2024