Interrater reliability of subtalar neutral, calcaneal inversion and eversion

• Published in: The journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapy Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 10 - 15
• Main Authors: Smith-Oricchio, K, Harris, B A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.1990
• ISSN: 0190-6011; 1938-1344
• DOI: 10.2519/jospt.1990.12.1.10

The purposes of this study were to determine the interrater reliability of the measurements of calcaneal inversion/eversion and subtalar joint neutral (STJN) in a patient population; to compare STJN using the mathematical and palpatory methods; and to compare the amount of calcaneal eversion in prone, bilateral stance, and unilateral stance. Three examiners measured 20 patients with recent ankle pathology according to a standardized protocol. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to determine interrater reliability. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if a difference in motion existed between test positions. The results demonstrated that prone measurements of calcaneal inversion/eversion and STJN had low to moderate interrater reliability (ICC ranged from 0.25 to 0.60). Weight bearing measurements of calcaneal position demonstrated high interrater reliability (r = 0.91 in bilateral stance, r = 0.75 in unilateral stance). These findings suggest that nonweightbearing measurements may be of limited value in assessing subtalar joint range of motion. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1990;12(1):10-15.