Ultrasound measures of muscle thickness and subcutaneous tissue from the hip abductors: Inter- and intra-rater reliability.
Marcel Bahia Lanza, Kelly Rock, Victoria Marchese and 2 others
PMID 35792333WHAT IT FOUND
Ultrasound measurements of hip abductor muscle thickness and subcutaneous tissue are highly reliable when taken by the same person or different people in young adults.
This supports using ultrasound for clinical assessment or research tracking in this specific population, though results may not apply to older adults.
Key findings
01Intra-rater reliability for muscle thickness and subcutaneous tissue of the gluteus medius and tensor fascia latae was excellent, with ICC values ranging from 0.90 to 0.98.
02Inter-rater reliability was also excellent for both muscles and both measures, with ICC values ranging from 0.81 to 0.96.
03The study was limited to young adults (18-35 years), so reliability in older populations or those with pathology is not confirmed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study only included young, healthy adults (18-35 years) with no history of neurological or muscular disorders. It is unknown if these reliability figures hold for older adults or patients with pathology. The sample size was small (20 participants). Reliability was assessed in a controlled research setting with specific probe placement guidelines, which may be difficult to replicate exactly in a busy clinical clinic.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these reliability scores apply to your older patients or those with hip pathology. The study only tested healthy young adults, and the authors explicitly state that extrapolation to other groups should be made carefully.