Article

Described as an alternative way of assessing weight-bearing asymmetries, the
measures obtained from digital scales have been used as an index to classify
weight-bearing distribution. This study aimed to describe the intra-test and the
test/retest reliability of measures in subjects with and without hemiparesis
during quiet stance. The percentage of body weight borne by one limb was
calculated for a sample of subjects with hemiparesis and for a control group that
was matched by gender and age. A two-way analysis of variance was used to verify
the intra-test reliability. This analysis was calculated using the differences
between the averages of the measures obtained during single, double or triple
trials. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was utilized and data
plotted using the Bland-Altman method. The intra-test analysis showed significant
differences, only observed in the hemiparesis group, between the measures
obtained by single and triple trials. Excellent and moderate ICC values
(0.69-0.84) between test and retest were observed in the hemiparesis group, while
for control groups ICC values (0.41-0.74) were classified as moderate,
progressing from almost poor for measures obtained by a single trial to almost
excellent for those obtained by triple trials. In conclusion, good reliability
ranging from moderate to excellent classifications was found for participants
with and without hemiparesis. Moreover, an improvement of the repeatability was
observed with fewer trials for participants with hemiparesis, and with more
trials for participants without hemiparesis.

Langue : ANGLAIS