Hemiplegic shoulder pain syndrome: interrater reliability of physical diagnosis signs.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the interrater reliability of shoulder physical diagnosis signs in the acute stroke rehabilitation setting.


METHODS
Prospective inception cohort.


METHODS
Academic inpatient stroke rehabilitation service.


METHODS
People admitted to stroke rehabilitation service.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
The Neer impingement test, Speed test, acromioclavicular shear test, Rowe shoulder score, and palpation.


RESULTS
Two examiners evaluated 46 consecutively admitted participants at 18.9+/-14.1 days after stroke. Percentage agreement was 78% or higher on all tests. The kappa statistic was in the fair to excellent interrater reliability range on all tests except those involving the acromioclavicular joint, for which findings were infrequent.


CONCLUSIONS
Most of the shoulder physical diagnosis signs used in this study have sufficient interrater reliability for use in future clinical studies of hemiplegic shoulder pain.
Dromerick
Alexander W
AW
Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. alexander.w.dromerick@medstar.net
Kumar
Ashok
A
Volshteyn
Oksana
O
Edwards
Dorothy F
DF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013577:Syndrome