RELIABILITY OF A CLINICAL KINEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF THE SIT-TO-STAND MOVEMENT

We examined the reproducibility of a kinematic assessment of the sit-to-stand movement in 15 healthy subjects using a standardized protocol. We examined the within-rater and between-rater reliability of the assessment using a clinically feasible method, the video-goniometric measurement method, to analyze the task. Two variables were measured to characterize the sit-to-stand movement: 1) joint angles for four body segments (head, trunk, knee, and ankle) and 2) three events (maximal trunk flexion, lift-off, and maximal trunk extension). High reproducibility was found for all joint angles, except for the head angle. Both within-rater and between-rater goniometric measurements were highly reliable (ICC > .80). Identification of the events was reproducible within raters and between different raters. We conclude that this method can lead to reliable assessments of a healthy population. The reliability data established in this study can be used to help clinicians determine the impairments of patients.