Reliability of upper limb and trunk joint angles in healthy adults during activities of daily living.
Susannah M Engdahl, Deanna H Gates
PMID 29153478WHAT IT FOUND
Daily-task motion capture was more consistent for shoulder and elbow angles than for wrist or trunk angles in 19 healthy right-handed adults.
Repeated movements within one session varied less than measurements across two sessions. Choose tasks by the joint you need to measure.
Key findings
01Among all measured angles, 88% had good relative reliability and 32% had reasonable reliability for clinical measures.
02For peak upper limb angles, the average between-session minimum detectable change was 13.1°, while the average within-session minimum detectable change was 8.7°.
03Wrist MDCs were a larger share of the peak angle than shoulder or elbow MDCs (within-session: shoulder 14%, elbow 20%, wrist 53%; between-session: shoulder 23%, elbow 33%, wrist 71%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The results are from 19 healthy right-handed adults aged 18 to 35, so they do not show reliability for left-handed people or for patient populations with stroke, amputation, or cerebral palsy. The authors note that patient populations often have more variability, so the reliability values may not transfer directly to clinical patients. No minimum clinically important difference was established. The paper reports measurement error thresholds, not the smallest change that matters to a patient. The ICC thresholds used were not universal standards, and the authors say different disciplines may use different guidelines. Only six ADLs were tested, and some joint angles were excluded because they were not consistently used during a task. Between-session testing depended on marker placement and setup, and the authors say this variability cannot be completely eliminated.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these reliability values apply to your patients with stroke, amputation, or cerebral palsy. The study measured only 19 healthy right-handed adults, and the authors say patient populations have increased variability and reliability likely differs.