• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.177-184
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• 2023

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of 'KPIMT Torticollis Protractor', a smart phone and I-pad application for convenient range of motion measurement, and 'Image J', an analysis software with high reliability and validity, according to head tilt and active cervical rotation angle. This was done to determine the clinical utility of 'KPIMT Torticollis Protractor'. Methods: Head tilt and active cervical spine rotation angles of 40 children with congenital muscular torticollis were measured using Image J and KPIMT Torticollis Protractor, respectively. The level of concurrent validity and inter-rater and intra-rater reliability between the two measurement methods were analyzed. Results: For forty participants, the concurrent validity between Image J and KPIMT Torticollis Protractor showed very high validity with ICC of ICC 0.977 (0.995-0.999), 0.994 (0.994-0.998), CV_ME% 0.71-0.72%, SEM% 0.31-0.34%, MDC% 0.86-0.94%. The test-retest intra-rater reliability showed very high reliability ICC 0.911 (0.911-0.966), CV_ME% 0.71%, SEM% 0.34-0.36%, MDC% 0.81-0.94%. The test-retest inter-rater showed very high reliability ICC 0.936 (0.933-0.957), CV_ME% 0.70%, SEM% 0.34-0.35%, MDC% 0.81-0.83%. Conclusion: The KPIMT Torticollis Protractor, a smart phone and IPD application, is a highly reliable and valid device for angle measurement in children with congenital myotonia and can be easily used in clinical practice.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.57-63
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to evaluate inter-rater reliability of the amplitude and first knee extension angles in deep tendon reflex test by using an electrical hammer. Twenty-five healthy adults participated in the study. Compound muscle action potential is elicited by tapping the knee tendon with an electrical hammer in deep tendon reflex tests. The amplitude and knee extension angle were simultaneously measured. The mean value of the amplitude and the knee extension angles through three time trials for each tester, are used for determining the inter-rater and Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) reliabilities. According to the results, the ICCs of the amplitude is .280 and that of the knee extension angle is .789. Pearson correlation coefficients of the amplitude of the action potential and the knee extension angles are .685, showing significant statistically moderate correlation. Inter-rater reliability in the amplitude was not significant. More objective and quantitative deep tendon reflex tests should be done to obtain higher reliability in further studies.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.125-130
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• 2005

Background and purpose: We evaluated the reliability of two electrodermal measurement devices on meridian skin areas; Electro Acupuncture according to Dr. Voll (EAV) method and newly developed MIR-1. Methods: Eighteen volunteers were tested repeatedly on the same condition with each device. To explore the intra-rater, inter-rater, and test-retest reliabilities, one rater tested each subject twice in succession, then the other rater tested the subject in a row. Finally, retests on the subjects with each device were performed 1 week later. The reliability was determined by Pearson correlation and intraclass correlation statistics. Results: EAV method showed poor reliability, while MIR-1 showed good reliability. Conclusion: It is suggested that further research on the reliability and useful device in both fields of clinical practice and biomedical research.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.321-327
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• 2022

Background: Scapular dyskinesis is considered a risk factor for the shoulder pain that may warrant screening for prevention. Clinicians of all experience screen scapular dyskinesis using the scapular dyskinesis test yes-no classification (Y-N), yet its reliability in asymptomatic individuals is unknown. We aimed to establish Y-N's intra- and inter-reliability between students and expert physical therapists. Methods: We utilized a cross-sectional design using consecutive asymptomatic subjects. Six students and two experts rated 100 subjects using the Y-N. Cohen's kappa (κ) and Krippendorff's alpha (K-α) were calculated to determine intra- and inter-rater reliability. Results: Intra- and inter-rater values for experts were κ=0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91-0.93) and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.84-0.87) respectively; students were κ=0.77 (95% CI, 0.75-0.78) and K-α=0.63 (95% CI, 0.58-0.67). Conclusions: The Y-N is reliable in detecting scapular dyskinesis in asymptomatic individuals regardless of experience.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.51-58
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• 1999

In general, sitting balance is decreased in subjects with spinal cord injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Functional Reach Test (FRT) which is used to measure sitting balance. The subjects of this study were 26 persons with spinal cord injury, and they were divided into three groups according to their injury level. Group I, II and III consisted of the following $C_5{\sim}C_8$ quadriplegics, $T_1{\sim}T_4$, and $T_9{\sim}T_12$ paraplegics, respectively. Subjects sat on a mat table that was set at an 80 degree inclination. During three sessions, the length subjects could reach in the FRT test was measured by three physical therapists, and compared to each other. The results showed that intraclass correlation coefficients (2,1) were above 0.97 and inter-rater difference was not statistically significant. The one-way ANOVA demonstrated that reach differed between groups with lower thoracic lesion and the other test groups. In conclusion, we think modified FRT is useful and reliable method to measure the sitting balance in subjects with spinal cord injury.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.475-488
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• 2011

Purpose: The aims of the study were to develop and to establish reliability in Korean versions of World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0(KWHODAS 2.0): 12 item-self(12-self) and 12 item-interviewer(12-interviewer) versions. Methods: KWHODAS 2.0: 12-item versions were developed in idiomatic modern Korean with a process involving independent translation, synthesis of the translations, independent back translation, and review by an expert committee to achieve equivalence with the original English. 88 participants were included in the study. 33 of participants filled the 12-self version twice to examine test-retest reliability and 55 of participants were assessed simultaneously by four interviewers using the 12-interviewer version. Intra-rater reliability was evaluated using the intra-class correlation coefficient(ICC) and inter-rater reliability was evaluated using both the ICC and k statistic. Results: Test-retest reliability for the 12-self version was excellent with $ICC_{(2,1)}$ value ranged from 0.94(CI 0.88-0.98) to 0.96(CI 0.90-0.98). Inter-rater reliability for the 12-interviewer version showed excellent agreement with $ICC_{(2,1)}$ from 0.94(CI 0.91-0.96) to 1(CI 1.0-1.0). K value was observed from 0.95 to 1. Conclusion: KWHODAS 2.0: 12-self and 12-interviewer versions were successfully translated and both scales showed excellent reliability. It is now suitable for use in clinical and research applications.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.155-161
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• 2016

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of a personal computer-based muscle viewer (PC-BMW) compared with that of a portable ultrasound (P-US) for measuring upper trapezius (UT) and transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle thickness at rest and during contraction. Design: Observational inter-rater reliability study. Methods: Fifty-five healthy participants (25 men, 30 women) participated in this study. PC-BMW and P-US were randomly measured at the UT and TrA muscles. Two examiners randomly obtained the images of all participants in 3 test sessions lasting 2 days. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs), standard error of measurement, contraction ratio, and correlation were used to estimate reliability and validity. Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between muscle thickness measures taken from PC-BMW and P-US. Results: The intra-rater reliability ICCs of UT and TrA muscle thickness for the PC-BMW were >0.995, indicating excellent reliability. Inter-rater reliability ICCs for the PC-BMW ranged from 0.963 to 0.987. The P-US also exhibited high reliability. A high correlation was found between the measurements of the two muscles in PC-BMW and P-US (p<0.01). Conclusions: PC-BMW provides clear and excellent images, is pocket-sized and less expensive than a conventional ultrasound imaging system. PC-BMW can be utilized variously and has the advantage of rehabilitative ultrasound imaging. More research is needed to evaluate the utility of PC-BMW for rehabilitation.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.194-201
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• 2019

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of muscle thickness (MT) and pennation angle (PA) measurements of the ankle muscle, including the tibialis anterior (TA) and the medial gastrocnemius (MGCM), using a hands-free fixed probe and to compare it with the conventional linear probe. Design: Observational inter-rater reliability study. Methods: Thirty-three healthy subjects (20 male, 13 female) were included. In all subjects, ultrasound images were acquired from the TA and MGCM using a hands-free fixed probe and a conventional linear probe in random sequence by two examiners at two time-points within a 7-day interval. MT and PA were calculated on the taken images. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), 95% confidence intervals, standard error of measurement and the Pearson's correlation coefficient were used to estimate reliability and validity. And also, Bland-Altman plots were generated for a visual representation of MT and PA at the TA and MGCM. Results: The ICC for all intra-rater reliability was 0.943 to 0.995 and that for all inter-rater reliability was 0.928 to 0.993, indicating excellent reliability. A significantly high correlation was observed between MT and PA at the TA and MGCM with use of the hands-free fixed probe and the conventional linear probe (r>0.938; p<0.001). Conclusions: The hands-free fixed probe provided excellent images for measurement of the MT and PA of the TA and MGCM and is a useful device for making clinical measurements of muscle structure without grasping of the probe.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.88-93
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• 2020

Purpose: This study examined the inter-rater reliability of cervical proprioception, dynamic balance ability, and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion using STARmat^®, which is a practical clinical tool that can provide practitioners and patients with quantitative and qualitative results. Methods: Thirty healthy young subjects were enrolled in this study, and two well-trained physical therapists participated as a tester. Two testers measured the cervical joint position error at the starting position after neck flexion, extension, side bending, and rotation; three dynamic balance tests, including anterior excursion, anterior reaching with single leg balance, and posterior diagonal excursion; and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion using STARmat^®. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the inter-rater reliability of the tests. Results: The inter-rater reliability for the cervical proprioception ranged from moderate to good (0.66 to 0.83), particularly for flexion (0.82), extension (0.70), right side bending (0.73), left side bending (0.71), right rotation (0.83), and left rotation (0.66). For the dynamic balance, the inter-rater reliability ranged from good to excellent (0.87 to 0.91), particularly for anterior excursion (0.86), posterior diagonal excursion (0.87 to 0.89), and anterior reaching with a single leg balance (0.90 to 0.91). In addition, for the ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, the ICC for the inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.95 to 0.96. Conclusion: STARmat^® is a reliable tool for measuring cervical proprioception, dynamic balance tests, and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion in healthy young adults.

• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.379-386
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• 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the trunk impairment scale that are used to assess the trunk control of stroke patients. Design: A systematic review Methods: Stroke subjects were categorized as acute, subacute, chronic. In this systematic review, the studies published between 2000 and 2020 were selected. A literature search using the keywords 'QUADAS', 'stroke', 'trunk impairment scale'. Data sources included RISS, GOOGLE Scholar and DBpia. We assessed the quality of assessment tools using Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Results: We reviewed 18 studies. 7 of the 18 studies reported reliability results, 10 reported validity results. The QUADAS tool quality evaluation of 17 literatures extracted except for one randomized control test among 18 literatures showed a range of 3 to 13 points. 5 of the 18 studies are presented with the Cronbach alpha coefficient indicating reliability using internal consistency, all of which are more than 0.8. All studies that presented test-retest reliability, intra-rater reliability, and inter-rater reliability showed high agreement with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.75 or more. Conclusions: A systematic review of the study of the application of the trunk impairment scale for stroke patients will help provide criteria for future studies and application of the trunk impairment scale in clinical practice.