Measuring muscle strength for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the retest reliability and quantify the degree of measurement error when measuring isometric muscle strength with a hand-held dynamometer for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).


METHODS
Retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry for 4 muscle groups was assessed on 2 occasions separated by a 2-week interval.


METHODS
Community rehabilitation center.


METHODS
Eight men and 4 women (mean age +/- standard deviation, 71.4+/-10.3y) with moderately severe COPD (percentage of predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second, 41.5%+/-17.7%).


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Muscle strength (in kilograms). Statistical analysis was conducted by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals for both group and individual scores.


RESULTS
All reliability coefficients were greater than .79. Muscle strength would need to increase by between 4% and 18% in groups of people with COPD and between 34% and 58% in a person with COPD to be 95% confident of detecting real changes.


CONCLUSIONS
Hand-held dynamometry is suitable for monitoring change in muscle strength and testing hypotheses for groups of people with COPD. However, hand-held dynamometry is not likely to detect changes in muscle strength for a person with COPD.
O'Shea
Simone D
SD
Physiotherapy Department, Wodonga Regional Health Service, Wodonga, Australia.
Taylor
Nicholas F
NF
Paratz
Jennifer D
JD
D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015982:Bias; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006615:Hip / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007537:Isometric Contraction; D007717:Knee / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards*; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018401:Sample Size; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012782:Shoulder / Q000503:physiopathology