Concurrent Validation and Reference Values of Gluteus Medius Clinical Test.
Amanda S S Teixeira, Paula L Silva, Sabrina P Cintra and 3 others
PMID 33842029WHAT IT FOUND
The Gluteus Medius Clinical Test is highly reliable but correlates weakly with dynamometer torque.
It measures endurance, not strength. Use it as a complementary tool when a dynamometer is unavailable, not as a substitute for isometric strength testing.
Key findings
01The test showed high intra-examiner (ICC 0.96-0.98) and inter-examiner (ICC 0.95) reliability.
02Concurrent validity with hand-held dynamometer torque was weak (r = 0.436), explaining only 19% of the variance.
03Reference values for youth athletes averaged 4.1 repetitions on the dominant limb and 3.4 on the non-dominant limb.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The hand-held dynamometer measures isometric strength of multiple hip abductors, while the clinical test prioritizes gluteus medius endurance, meaning they assess different physiological domains. Reference values are derived from specific youth sports populations (volleyball, basketball, judo) and may not generalize to other ages or sports. The study did not include participants with current pain or injury, limiting applicability to symptomatic patients.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use the Gluteus Medius Clinical Test as a substitute for dynamometer strength testing. The weak correlation (r = 0.436) indicates that a patient's endurance capacity does not reliably predict their maximal isometric strength.