ABSTRACT
Plantar pressure is used in clinical evaluation of the feet and informs about characteristics of the plantar load distribution during functional activity. Many evaluation instruments are used and its measurements properties must be tested. Test-retest reliability is a measure which informs about reproducibility. The objective of this study was to analyze test-retest reliability of maximum pressure measurements during static and dynamic in children and youths with normal development (ND). Eleven children and youths with ND of both sexes, with mean age between 6 and 17 years old, were evaluated twice in a weight bearing platform in orthostatic posture, barefooted and with their usual footwear, when the feet were positioned spontaneously (interrupted step) and the feet were aligned. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were analyzed (α=0.05). ICC were consistent for: anterior barefoot weight bearing (ICC=0.83) and posterior barefoot weight bearing (ICC=0.95) and with footwear (ICC=0.83), during the static analysis with interrupted step. They were also consistent for the variable static weight bearing of the right lower limb (ICC=0.86) and left lower limb (ICC=0.82) barefooted with interrupted step, and with footwear with the feet aligned (ICC=0.82). In the left lower limb analysis with footwear, the maximum pressure also showed a satisfactory result (ICC=0.85). Other variables showed ICC variation between 0.25 and 0.74, considered unsatisfactory. The conclusions are that test-retest ICC were considered excellent for some static conditions, and inconsistent in the dynamic evaluation.
Keywords
Child; Adolescent; Data Accuracy; Pressure; Foot
Source: Authors (2016)
