Article

Reliability of measurements obtained with the modified Ashworth scale in the lower extremities of people with stroke.

Division of Physiotherapy Education, School of Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Clinical Sciences Building, Hucknall Road, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Physical Therapy (impact factor: 3.11). 01/2002; 82(1):25-34. pp.25-34
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Abnormal muscle tone is a common motor disorder following stroke, which may require rehabilitation. The Modified Ashworth Scale is a 6-point rating scale that is used to measure muscle tone. The interrater and intrarater reliability of measurements obtained with the scale remain equivocal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of measurements obtained with the scale in the lower limb of patients with stroke.
Twenty patients were tested 2 weeks after their stroke, and 12 patients were tested 12 weeks after their stroke.
Gastrocnemius, soleus, and quadriceps femoris muscles on the hemiplegic side were tested.
Interrater reliability for 2 raters was poor, with a Kendall tau-b correlation for the combined muscle group of.062 (P=.461). For intrarater reliability, the Kendall tau-b correlation was.567 (P<.001). The agreement within one rater occurred mostly on the grade of 0.
The Modified Ashworth Scale yielded reliable measurements in the lower limb for a single examiner, and agreement was best on the grade of 0. The reliability between examiners was not good, which may bring into question the validity of measurements obtained with the scale.

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Keywords

12 patients
 
6-point rating scale
 
Abnormal muscle tone
 
combined muscle group of.062
 
common motor disorder
 
examiners
 
Gastrocnemius
 
hemiplegic side
 
Interrater reliability
 
intrarater reliability
 
Kendall tau-b correlation
 
Kendall tau-b correlation was.567
 
lower limb
 
measure muscle tone
 
Modified Ashworth Scale
 
patients
 
quadriceps femoris muscles
 
reliability
 
single examiner
 
soleus