Reliability of Spatiotemporal Characteristics During Single-Legged Hop and Bilateral Drop Jump Tasks Using an Instrumented Pressure Walkway.
Matthew McManigal, Austin Post, Michael Allen and 5 others
PMID 38835980WHAT IT FOUND
A portable pressure walkway reliably measured flight and stance times during single and triple hops, with good to excellent consistency across two test sessions.
It also accurately tracked 6-meter hop times and drop jump heights compared to standard lab equipment.
Key findings
01The instrumented pressure walkway showed good to excellent test-retest reliability for spatial and temporal variables during single and triple hop tests.
026-meter hop time measured by the walkway was strongly correlated with infrared timing gates.
03Vertical jump height calculated from the walkway's flight time was strongly correlated with measurements from a 3D motion capture system.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included young, uninjured, active adults, so reliability and validity in patients with recent lower limb injuries or surgeries are not confirmed. The walkway width prevented testing the crossover hop. The device occasionally slid forward up to 1 cm during triple hops due to momentum, which could affect accuracy. Only 21 of the 38 participants completed the retest session.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the Nebraska Bankers Association and the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this device is validated for injured patients. The study was conducted on healthy, active adults, so its reliability in clinical populations with lower limb impairments remains unproven.