title: Ankle joint range of motion measurements in spastic cerebral palsy children: intraobserver and interobserver reliability and reproducibility of goniometry and visual estimation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the intra- and interobserver reliability and reproducibility of goniometry and visual estimation of ankle joint range of motion measurements in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Forty-six ankles of 24 spastic cerebral palsy children were measured under a strict protocol. The global mean measurement error was 5 degrees (SD, 5 degrees) for intra- and interobserver measurements and 3 degrees (SD, 3 degrees) for goniometry versus visual estimation. Statistical analysis showed a high reliability for intra- and interobserver measurements (r>0.75), between visual estimation and goniometry (correlation coefficient, r>0.967; concordance coefficient, r>0.957). Both visual estimation and goniometry ankle range-of-motion measurements are reliable and reproducible in spastic cerebral palsy children if a strict but simple protocol is applied.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, CHR La Citadelle, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nanni J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Allington
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Leroy
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Doneux
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D015588:Observer Variation; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000379:methods*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D015203:Reproducibility of Results