Reliability and validity of ankle proprioceptive measures.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the reliability and validity of ankle proprioceptive measures.


METHODS
Reliability was assessed between test occasions. Construct validity was addressed by the ability of measures to differentiate among groups.


METHODS
Laboratory of an educational institution.


METHODS
Eight healthy adults were recruited into each of 3 groups: (1) young (20-39y), (2) middle-aged (40-59y), and (3) older adults (>or=60y). Four subjects from each group (n=12) participated in retesting.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Threshold for perception of passive movement, error in active reproduction of position, error in reproduction of velocity, and error in reproduction of torque.


RESULTS
Intersession reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] range, .79 - .95) for threshold for perception of movement, error in active reproduction, error in velocity reproduction, and error in dorsiflexion torque reproduction; intersession reliability was good for error in reproduction of plantarflexion torque (ICC=.72). Threshold for perception of movement differed between groups 1 and 3 and between groups 2 and 3 (P<.05). Error in reproduction of position was greater in group 2 than in group 1 (P<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Differences in proprioception between the older and the 2 younger groups were best detected by using threshold for perception of passive movement.
Deshpande
Nandini
N
Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Canada.
Connelly
Denise M
DM
Culham
Elsie G
EG
Costigan
Patrick A
PA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000842:Ankle / Q000502:physiology*; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D019937:Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D011434:Proprioception / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D019415:Torque