Measurement of Joint Stiffness in the Hand: A Preliminary Investigation of the Reliability and Validity of Torque Angle Curves

Abstract

The principal aim of this study was to examine aspects of the reliability and validity of the Torque Angle Curve (TAC) technique as a measure of joint stiffness. Specifically, inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were examined as well as the percent agreement of therapist evaluation of joint 'end feel' (i.e. springy or non-springy). Convergent validity of the TAC technique was studied by assessing the extent of agreement between TAC scores and therapist ratings of end feel. Thirty-eight joints were assessed in 24 subjects. Inter-rater reliability ICC (2,2) of the TAC technique was .80 and intra-rater reliability ICC (3,1) was .76 for rater A and ICC (3,1) .64 for rater B. Percent agreement for the end-feel technique was 68.4% with Kappa = .42. A significant difference was found between TAC scores for springy joints (mean [SD] 12.0˚ [3.7]) and TAC scores for non-springy joints (mean [SD] 7.2˚ [2.8]), when raters agreed on end feel (p = .000). When raters did not agree on end feel, the mean TAC score was 9.6˚ [2.2]. Results from this preliminary investigation suggest that the TAC technique provides a more reliable estimate of joint stiffness than the use of end feel. Further research with a larger sample size is required to replicate findings.

Reliability of the standard goniometry and diagrammatic recording of finger joint angles: a comparative study with healthy subjects and non-professional raters

“…A more detailed reflection of the design diversity and results of the previous explorations is given in Additional file 9. Most of the intra-rater and inter-rater ICCs obtained in the current study were above 0.8, which indicates reliability [38] comparable with the previously reported values [6,10,11,17-20,25,27,29,33,37]. Most of the SEMs obtained in the current study are also in comparison with the corresponding estimates reported by the earlier researchers [9,29,33,37].…”

Randomized Controlled Trial of Daily Total End Range Time (TERT) for Capener Splinting of the Stiff Proximal Interphalangeal Joint

“…Previous research (Glasgow et al, 2003) indicated that 6-12 hr/day of splint use is better than <6 hr; however, limited evidence is available examining splint use beyond 12 hr. Some observable differences between groups existed at baseline, but overall the combined sample appeared to be representative of the wider population of handinjured patients undergoing PIP joint extension splinting (i.e., mostly men, little finger most commonly affected, average time since injury 10-11 wk; Glasgow et al, 2003;Glasgow, James, O'Sullivan, & Tooth, 2004;Prosser, 1996).…”