Inter- and intra-rater reliability of a technique assessing the length of the Latissimus Dorsi muscle.

The study was done in healthy physiotherapy students with no current shoulder pain or pathology, so it does not show how the test performs in patients with shoulder problems or after breast cancer treatment. Of 74 volunteers, 56 were analysed; exclusions were shoulder pain or pathology and inability to maintain a flat back, which may limit generalisability. The inclusion criteria stated ages 18 to 25 years, but the results reported ages 18 to 28 years. The text reported inter-rater agreement as 0.48, but the table reported 0.33 across all four stations. The measurements were taken in a physiotherapy gymnasium with multiple stations, and participants could observe each other, which may have affected consistency. All raters said the goniometer was difficult to read to the nearest single digit. Scapular stabilisation was not standardised because the size and placement of the raters' hands varied across stations. The pelvic strap limited tilting, but some participants could still change lumbar lordosis inconsistently. Each participant was measured eight times within less than 4 hours, which may have introduced stretch, learning, or fatigue effects. Novice raters measured lower values than experienced raters, so rater experience may affect readings.

Do not read this as proof that the test can diagnose a short latissimus dorsi. It only measured agreement in healthy students, and agreement was poor to moderate.