Reliability of lower extremity girth measurements after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of lower extremity girth measurements in patients recovering from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructive surgery. Nine subjects, within several months of their surgery, volunteered. Circumferential measurements were taken of the involved and uninvolved legs at the following locations: 15 cm inferior to the joint line; 5, 10 and 15 cm superior to the joint line; at the joint line; and at mid-thigh. All subjects were supine with the knee in extension whilst a specially designed device, formulated to make circumferential measurements at locations around the knee, was applied to the extremity. Three physical therapists each repeated all measurements on two occasions, in random order, during the same test session. Intra-tester intraclass correlation (ICCs) calculated showed high coefficients (0.82-1.0) for both the involved and uninvolved sides for all locations of the measurement. Inter-tester ICCs ranged from 0.72 to 0.97. The measurements established sufficiently high reliability to justify their use both within and between examiners for subjects recovering from surgery of the ACL.

Rehabilitation for the management of knee osteoarthritis using comprehensive traditional Chinese medicine in community health centers: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

“…Girth measurement has shown acceptable reliability for determination of gross changes in knee swelling after knee surgery [28]. …”

Evaluation of Factors Influencing Thigh Circumference Measurement in Dogs

“…Potential variables include hair coat length, variation in the site of measurement due to a lack of clearly identifiable landmarks on the limb, limb position, and dog movement. To improve reliability of measurements in human subjects, several devices have been created that control height and angle of the measurement along the limb (Berard and Zuccarelli, 2000, Berard et al, 1998, Berard et al, 2002, Soderberg et al, 1996. However, these devices are difficult to apply to the canine patient due to differences in anatomy.…”

Effect of Drain Placed in the Donor Site in the Early Postoperative Period after Arthroscopically Assisted Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Quadrupled Hamstring Tendons

“…Intrarater and interrater reliability of lower extremity girth measurements was found to be sufficiently high to justify its use in patients recovering from ACL reconstructive surgery. 20 Circumference measurements have produced more significant results than have ROM measurements. Four of 8 measurements reached statistical significance.…”