Reliability and validity of the Lafayette® hand-held dynamometer for clinical use in Physiotherapy

• Grant number: 13/25755-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2014
• End date: November 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Débora Bevilaqua Grossi
• Grantee: Janaina Rodrigues Alves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Studies indicate that imbalance in muscle groups such as knee flexors, extensors and internal, external rotators, adductors and abductors, flexors and extensors of the hip are related to different clinical disorders, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Tests used to measure muscle strength are important clinical factors as they provide valuable information on the effectiveness and evolution of treatment, re-establishment of function, and return to routine and sports activities. Therefore, a valid and reliable method is necessary for such quantification. Some methods are available to measure muscle strength with the use of isokinetic and hand-held dynamometers. Despite being portable and easy to use devices in clinical settings, their validity and reproducibility have yet to be tested. Therefore, the objective of this project is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Lafayette® hand-held dynamometer for use in clinical practice, which is considered the gold standard for testing muscle strength, combined with an isokinetic dynamometer. Twenty six healthy volunteers of both genders, between ages 18 and 28 years, will be submitted to 2 sessions (test and retest) to test muscle strength of hip and knee using the Lafayette® hand-held dynamometer and the Biodex® isokinetic dynamometer. Data will be entered in excel spreadsheet and expressed as mean ± standard deviation. The intra and inter-rater reliability will be verified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2, 1). Pearson's correlation and the Bland-Altman analysis will be run to determine agreement between the Lafayette® hand-held dynamometer and the Biodex® isokinetic dynamometer. Considering the positions taken for the tests, the easy-to-use and low cost hand-held dynamometer reported in this study, it is expected that high reliability and high validity of the instrument are achieved so that it can be more commonly used by physiotherapists in their clinical practice. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MARTINS, JAQUELINE; DA SILVA, JANAINA RODRIGUES; BARBOSA DA SILVA, MARCELO RODRIGUES; BEVILAQUA-GROSSI, DEBORA. Reliability and Validity of the Belt-Stabilized Handheld Dynamometer in Hip- and Knee-Strength Tests. JOURNAL OF ATHLETIC TRAINING, v. 52, n. 9, p. 809-819, SEP 2017. (13/25755-4)