Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of a clinical protocol for measuring turnout in collegiate dancers.
Amanda Greene, Andrea Lasner, Rajwinder Deu and 2 others
PMID 29393715WHAT IT FOUND
A clinical protocol for measuring dancers' active and functional turnout was consistent across three trials.
One dance faculty member and physical therapists could measure reliably, though faculty recorded active turnout angles 0.98 degrees larger.
Key findings
01All reliability scores were above 0.75, the threshold the authors set for excellent reliability.
02Active turnout measurements were reliable, but the faculty rater's readings were 0.98 degrees higher than the physical therapists' readings.
03Functional turnout measurements were also reliable, with no significant difference between faculty and physical therapist readings.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 32 dancers were tested, and only one was male. The sample came from one university dance department, and dancers were not excluded for current or previous injury. Only one university-level dance faculty member was tested, and she had some formal anatomy training, so results may not apply to all instructors. The dancers were already familiar with the functional turnout footprints, which may have helped them stabilize the equipment. Reliability was assessed only in first position, not in all five classical dance positions. Each rater measured a different trial for each dancer, so variation in the dancer's actual turnout across trials may have influenced the reliability estimates. The study tested measurement consistency, not validity, injury prediction, or treatment benefit.
Declared interests
The authors report no declarations of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not use this study to say that measuring turnout improves dancer care or predicts injury. It tested measurement consistency in one dance faculty member and physical therapists, not injury outcomes or treatment effects.