The Reliability of Common Functional Performance Tests within an Experimental Test Battery for the Lower Extremities.

Giordano Scinicarelli,Ingo Froböse,Marko Trofenik,Christiane Wilke

doi:10.3390/sports9070100

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine the test–retest reliability of an experimental functional test battery: Y-balance test (YBT), single-leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ), single-leg hop for distance (SLH), side-hop (SH), speedy-jump (SJ), agility-T (AT), and lower extremity functional test (LEFT). Secondary aims were (1) to determine the mean range for the limb symmetry index (LSI) and (2) to detect significant differences in performance between test–retest sessions. Twenty-two healthy adults (14 males, 8 females; age 23.3 ± 3.9) were tested by the same rater during two different sessions (T1–T2), with a seven-day interval, under the same conditions. Reliability analysis showed good-to-excellent reliability (0.89 < ICC < 0.97; 0.80 < α < 0.98) for the test battery. LSI ranged from 95.9 ± 6.7% (SH-T1) to 104.4 ± 12.5% (SLCMJ-T2). Repeated measures ANOVA detected significant performance differences between sessions in the LEFT (p = 0.009) and for non-dominant sides in the SLH (p = 0.015), SH (p = 0.007), and SJ (p = 0.011). The high reliability of the test battery suggests a potential use in clinical sports practice. The LSI range of ≥95% was proposed as a benchmark for healthy adults. Learning effect seems to have played a crucial role in the T2 improvements of the non-dominant side for hop performances (SLH, SH, SJ) and speed performance (LEFT).

Highlights

A test battery consists of an evaluated and standardized protocol combining single and complementary subtests, which do not require sophisticated equipment and can be carried out multiple times [1]
The test battery showed on average good-toexcellent intraclass correlation coefficients (0.89 < ICC < 0.97) for all tests, except for the Y-balance test (YBT) (N-Dom 0.71; limb symmetry index (LSI) 0.62), single-leg countermovement jump (SLCMJ) (LSI 0.76), single-leg hop for distance test (SLH) (LSI 0.73), SH (LSI 0.41), and SJ (LSI 0.67) tests
The experimental test-battery proposed in this study appears to be highly reliable (ICC ≥ 0.75; Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.80) for the measurements of functional performance in healthy adults

Summary

Introduction

A test battery consists of an evaluated and standardized protocol combining single and complementary subtests, which do not require sophisticated equipment and can be carried out multiple times [1]. Functional test batteries are widely used to assess sport-specific functional performance [2,4], to establish prevention strategies (such as pre-injury screenings) for anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL-I) [5,6], and to plan specific training interventions for the lower extremities [7,8,9,10] They are regularly used in monitoring and decision-making processes of rehabilitation after ACL-I, for return-to-sport clearance, and for movement quality assessments [4,11,12,13,14]. An LSI ≥ 90% is considered a normal range in functional tests for both injured and uninjured populations [4,14,22]

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