Abstract
Objective The aims of this study were to evaluate the reliability of three range of motion tests (Straight Leg Raise, Modified Thomas, and Duncan-Ely) using photographic measurements in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (SD) and with typical development (TD). Methods A cross-sectional test-retest design was applied to compare muscle-tendon unit shortening tests between groups. Results The tests showed reliability that ranged from good to excellent (ICC > 0.8), except for the Thomas Test for the bi-articular hip flexor muscle-tendon unit of the TD group (ICC = 0.7). Differences between groups were found in all tests (p < 0.05), except when the range of motion of the bi-articular hip flexor muscles was assessed using the Thomas test (p > 0.05). Conclusion Children with SD presents a smaller range of motion than the TD group. However, the Thomas Test for the bi-articular hip flexor muscles was unable to determine differences between children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy from that with typical development.
Highlights
Clinical range of motion tests are commonly used to evaluate healthy and individuals with motor neuron disorders and to plan interventions and monitor patient’s progress [1, 2]
The intraclass correlation coefficients observed for the control subjects indicated that the tests were repeatable between trials
Repeatability was high for the Straight Leg Raise Test (ICC = 0.92), moderate for the Thomas bi-articular hip flexor (BHF) Test (ICC = 0.69), and good for the Thomas uni-articular hip flexor (UHF) and Duncan-Ely tests (ICC = 0.76 and 0.80, respectively)
Summary
Clinical range of motion tests are commonly used to evaluate healthy and individuals with motor neuron disorders and to plan interventions and monitor patient’s progress [1, 2]. These tests are used in children with spastic diplegia cerebral palsy (CP) and functional impairments of the lower limbs [3, 4] to assess their physical condition and to quantify changes over time [5]. These tests typically rely on the judgment and experience of the examiner and may vary within and between examiners [1, 10, 11, 12, 13]
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