Reliability and Validity of the End Range Hamstring Strength Test with Handheld Dynamometry.
Jakob Kristiansen, Christina Eddy, Stig Peter Magnusson
PMID 38439772WHAT IT FOUND
A handheld dynamometer test for hamstring strength at end range matched isokinetic testing closely.
When the same tester repeated the measure days later, results were highly consistent. Different testers showed moderate agreement, with slightly lower consistency on the left leg.
Key findings
01The handheld dynamometer test showed a strong correlation with the gold-standard isokinetic machine for both legs.
02Intricate reliability (same tester, different days) was excellent, with measurement errors of 8.5% on the right and 8.2% on the left.
03Interrater reliability varied by side, showing good consistency on the right leg but only moderate consistency on the left leg.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size of 20 healthy participants limits generalizability to injured athletes. Tester experience varied significantly: Tester 1 had extensive HHD experience, while Tester 2 had little, which may explain the moderate interrater reliability. Hand dominance differences between testers (Tester 1 left-handed, Tester 2 right-handed) may have affected left-leg reliability. No blinding between Biodex and HHD results on Day 1, though precautions were taken to minimize bias.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this test is equally reliable when different therapists perform it. The study showed only moderate reliability on the left leg when testers changed, and the inexperienced tester's results were less consistent than the experienced tester's.