Reliability of measures of impairments associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2006 Mar 31; 7:33.BM

Abstract

BACKGROUND

The reliability and measurement error of several impairment measures used during the clinical examination of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) has not been established. The purpose was to determine the inter-tester reliability and measurement error of measures of impairments associated with PFPS in patients with PFPS.

METHODS

A single group repeated measures design was used. Two pairs of physical therapists participated in data collection. Examiners were blinded to each others' measurements.

RESULTS

Thirty patients (age 29 +/- 8; 17 female) with PFPS participated in this study. Inter-tester reliability coefficients were substantial for measures of hamstrings, quadriceps, plantarflexors, and ITB/TFL complex length, hip abductors strength, and foot pronation (ICCs from .85 to .97); moderate for measures of Q-angle, tibial torsion, hip external rotation strength, lateral retinacular tightness, and quality of movement during a step down task (ICCs from .67 to .79); and poor for femoral anteversion (ICC of .45). Standard error of measurement (SEM) for measures of muscle length ranged from 1.6 degrees to 4.3 degrees. SEM for Q-angle, tibial torsion, and femoral anteversion were 2.4 degrees, 2.9 degrees, and 4.5 degrees respectively. SEM for foot pronation was 1 mm. SEM for measures of muscle strength was 1.8 Kg for abduction and 2.4 Kg for external rotation.

CONCLUSION

Several of the impairments associated with PFPS had sufficient reliability and low measurement error. Further investigation is needed to test if these impairment measurements are related to physical function and whether or not they are useful for decision-making.

Links

Publisher Full Text
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com
PMC Free PDF

Authors+Show Affiliations

Piva SR
Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, USA. spiva@shrs.pitt.edu
Fitzgerald K
No affiliation info available
Irrgang JJ
No affiliation info available
Jones S
No affiliation info available
Hando BR
No affiliation info available
Browder DA
No affiliation info available
Childs JD
No affiliation info available

MeSH

AdolescentAdultAnkle JointArthralgiaDisability EvaluationFemaleHip JointHumansKnee JointMaleMiddle AgedMuscle WeaknessMuscle, SkeletalPain MeasurementPatellofemoral Pain SyndromePredictive Value of TestsRange of Motion, ArticularReproducibility of ResultsSyndrome

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Language

eng

PubMed ID

16579850