The Test-Retest Reliability of Hand-Held Dynamometer on Static Hip Muscle Strength in Normal

The Test-Retest Reliability of Hand-Held Dynamometer on Static Hip Muscle Strength in Normal Male Subjects

Author(s): Warren Lam, Yammy Faan, Desmond Yeung, Simon Chan and Steve Hui

Introduction: There are many types of muscle testing methods ranging from manual testing to the use of sophisticated apparatus with time-consuming procedure. It is important to derive a reliable and valid method for clinical practice.

Methods: The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometer (Chatillon Model CSD 500) on static hip muscle strength in normal male subjects. Twelve healthy male subjects with mean age 30 years old (SD = 8.3 years) were recruited by sample of convenience. They were requested to perform 3 maximum static muscle contractions in six directions of movement (flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal and external rotation). Both their dominant side and non-dominant side were tested. The mean torque of respective direction of movement were recorded in both test and retest sessions. Data were analysed with SPSS 9.0 programme and the corresponding Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated.

Summary of results: For the dominant side, the ICC ranged from 0.72 to 0.94 and for the non-dominant side, the ICC ranged from 0.61 to 0.91.

Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the hand-held dynamometer (Chatillon Model CSD 500) was reliable in assessing static hip muscle strength in normal male subjects with our standardized testing procedures. Further investigation on different group of subjects as well as specific direction with randomisation would yield a better understanding of this testing apparatus.