title: Reliability of a new stabilized dynamometer system for the evaluation of hip strength.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hip strength is associated with numerous orthopaedic and neuromuscular injuries and/or pathologies and may be assessed with a variety of anatomic testing positions and techniques. Isokinetic dynamometers are generally too cumbersome and intricate for efficient use in mass screenings (for prognostic studies of risk for injury) as well as with special populations. The reliability of isometric testing devices has demonstrated varied reliability, generally examining only 1 or 2 motions of the hip and reporting values of force, not torque. Consequently, there is a need for an efficient hip strength-testing device to quantify torque that tests subjects in 1 anatomic position, while evaluating multiple hip motions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of supine hip abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension torque using a new stabilized dynamometer system will produce good to excellent intra- and interexaminer reliability results.
  
  
  METHODS
  A blinded, randomized, repeated-measures study design was used in this descriptive laboratory investigation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Supine isometric hip flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction torques were evaluated with a cage-stabilized dynamometer in 19 collegiate and professional-level ice hockey athletes by 2 investigators at 3 time intervals. Inter- and intrarater reliability was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supine hip flexion, extension, abduction, and adduction torque was performed with good to excellent inter- and intrarater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.92 and 0.78 to 0.92, respectively) for all motions tested.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have developed an isometric hip strength-testing device that can be assembled around an examination table to efficiently and reliably evaluate torque developed for multiple motions of the hip.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This device and testing protocol may be used to efficiently evaluate hip strength in numerous settings; it allows decreased subject burden and increased comfort (which may be important following an injury in case-control investigations); and it may be well tolerated when testing athletes as well as special populations in the clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: Timothy W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Tourville
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: Helen C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shultz
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Vacek
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Slauterbeck
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
authors.forename: Bruce D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Beynnon
keywords: dynamometry; hip joint; isometric; strength testing; torque