title: Comparative reliability of the make and break tests for hip abduction assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the reliability of "make test" (MT) and "break test" (BT) of hip abduction using hand-held dynamometry.
  
  
  METHODS
  A repeated measures reliability assessment design for the estimation of inter-rater reliability, in which pairs of testers rated each subject in a 2/3 fractional factorial was used. Both tests ("BT" and "MT") were performed on both legs twice by 2 testers, for a total of 16 ratings for each participant.
  
  
  METHODS
  39 healthy subjects between the ages of 21 and 70 years old volunteered.
  
  
  METHODS
  Variance components were computed from the repeated measures to assess inter-rater reliability of measurement. Reliability was estimated as a ratio of variance components.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both tests proved to be highly reliable in nature with values above 0.87 overall. Further examination revealed that gender had a small effect on reliability, yet differences in results were noted between raters on the BT more than the MT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hip abduction strength can be measured and reproduced between testers reliably using both a "MT" and "BT" and a long lever arm with pelvic stabilization. Statistically, the "MT" appears to be slightly more reliable than the "BT", but clinically, the "BT" is more practical and convenient.
authors.affiliation: Staff Physical Therapist , Sanford Orthopedics and Sports Medicine , Southpointe, Fargo, ND , USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iverson
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006615:Hip / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult