Reliability of the intelligent stretching device for ankle stiffness measurements in healthy individuals.
BACKGROUND
A number of devices have been developed to measure joint stiffness. This study investigated the reliability of the Intelligent (Intel) stretch device to measure bilateral ankle joint stiffness during passive range of motion (ROM).


METHODS
The reliability of the device was investigated based on torque and angle by establishing the consistency of measurements between examiners on different testing days. In addition, demographic variables were analyzed to investigate the degree of stiffness. Forty-six gender-matched subjects completed the test.


RESULTS
The reliability ICC₂(,)₁ coefficient of ankle stiffness between-day for both examiners was 0.77 for the right ankle and 0.76 for the left ankle with a 0.05 standard error of measurement (SEM) for ankle stiffness for the right side and 0.04 for the left side. The ICC values of the two examiners were also high based on Chronbach's alpha (0.87 and 0.86). Among the demographic variables, gender (F=35.25, p=0.001) and body weight (F=23.55, p=0.001) were the most important factors in determining ankle joint stiffness.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study indicated that dorsiflexion and plantarflexion measurements obtained by the Intel stretch device are reproducible and consistent. In addition, ankle stiffness was significantly different based on gender and body weight to develop and/or maintain ankle function. These results may help to identify ankle stiffness factors that will lead to more efficient rehabilitation programs and injury prevention strategies.
Department of Physical Therapy, Korea University, Republic of Korea. psung@korea.ac.kr
Paul S
PS
Sung
Ju-Yeoul
JY
Baek
Yoon Hyuk
YH
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D004576:Electromyography; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D019415:Torque