The intra and inter-rater relitability and error measurements of inclinometer in the measurement of shoulder range of motion in individuals with shoulder impingement syndrome

Abstract

The assessment of range of motion (ROM) cooperates with the diagnosis of the glenohumeral disorders and diseases and is useful for evaluating the effectiveness of treatment progression and for quantifying the change and quality of the motion over time. The measurement of ROM can be performed by the digital inclinometer which has shown good reliability in healthy subjects, but these results cannot be ensured in subjects with Shoulder Impingement Syndrome (SIS). The objective of this study is to analyze the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of active and passive ROM of the shoulder with the digital inclinometer in patients with SIS. 33 subjects with SIS will perform active and passive shoulder movements, like flexion, abduction, extension, neutral external rotation, external rotation at 90° of abduction and internal rotation at 90° of abduction. For inter-rater reliability, the first examiner will perform three measurements of each passive and active movement and, after an interval of 10-minute, the whole procedure will be repeated by the second examiner. For intra-rater reliability, the first examiner will repeat all measurements after an interval of 1 hour. The reliability analysis for each movement will be performed by the average values of three measurements. The intra-rater and inter-rater reliability will be analyzed by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and error measures will be analyzed by Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and the Minimum Detectable Change (MDC). It is expected as a result an excellent intra-rater and inter-rater for the inclinometer in all evaluated movements, however with standard error measures larger than those shown in studies conducted in healthy subjects.