Intra- and inter-rater reliability of angle assessment for righting reaction from a tilted sitting position in healthy participants.
Koki Nagai, Kazu Amimoto, Takuya Yada
PMID 37266355WHAT IT FOUND
Measuring how people right themselves from a tilted seat was highly consistent when done twice by the same therapist or by two different therapists.
The method uses video and body markers on healthy young adults, not patients.
Key findings
01Intra-rater reliability ICCs exceeded 0.81 for all body regions and tilt directions.
02Inter-rater reliability ICCs also exceeded 0.81, indicating high consistency between assessors.
03No participants fell during the experiment, and no adverse events occurred.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study only included healthy young adults, so the reliability and safety of this method are not established for older adults or patients with conditions like stroke. Angles were measured only in the frontal plane (side-to-side). Movements in the sagittal plane (forward/backward) and horizontal plane (rotation) were not assessed. The participants were specifically healthy individuals with no orthopedic or neurological disorders, limiting generalizability to clinical cases. The method required three physical therapists to administer the test safely (one instructing, two guarding), which may limit its feasibility in busy clinics.
Declared interests
The research did not receive specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this measurement method is reliable or safe for patients with balance impairments or older adults. The study only tested healthy young adults, and the authors explicitly state that caution is needed when applying this to other populations due to potential differences in movement patterns.