Reliability of Goniometric Measurements and Visual Estimates of Knee Range of Motion Obtained in a Clinical Setting Michael A Watkins, Dan L Riddle, Robert L Lamb and Walter J Personius PHYS THER. 1991; 71:90-96. The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, can be found online at: http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/71/2/90 Collections This article, along with others on similar topics, appears in the following collection(s): Injuries and Conditions: Knee Kinesiology/Biomechanics Tests and Measurements e-Letters To submit an e-Letter on this article, click here or click on "Submit a response" in the right-hand menu under "Responses" in the online version of this article. E-mail alerts Sign up here to receive free e-mail alerts Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 Research Report Reliability of Goniometric Measurements and Visual Estimates of Knee Range of Motion Obtained in a Clinical Setting The purpose of this study was to examine the intratester and intertester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion and extension passive range of motion (PROM). In addition, parallel-forms reliabilityfor PROM measurements of the knee obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation was examined. The intertester reliabilityfor visual estimates of the PROM of the knee was also examined. Repeated measurements were obtained o n 43 patients in a clinical setting. The intraclass correlation coeficients (ICCs)for intratester reliability of measurements obtained with a goniometer were .99forflexion and .98for extension. Intertester reliabilityfor measurements obtained with a goniometer was .90 f o r m i o n and .86for extension. The ICCs forparallel-fom reliabilityfor measurements obtained with a goniometer and by visual estimation ranged from .82 to .94. The intertester reliabilityfor measurements obtained by visual estimation was .83for flexion and .82for extension. Results suggest clinicians should use a goniometer to take repeated PROM measurements of a patient's knee to minimize the error associated with these measurements. (Watkins MA, Riddle DL, Lamb RL, Personius WJ Reliability of goniometric measurements and visual estimates of knee range of motion in a clinical setting. Pips Ther. 1991;71:90-9 7.1 Michael A Watklns Dan L Riddle Robert L Lamb Walter J Personius Key Words: Kinesiolo~/biomechanics,lower extremity; Lower extremity, knee; Tests and measurements, range of motion. Physical therapists frequently assess passive range of motion (PROM) of the knee as part of their examination of patients with knee complaints. The universal goniometer is frequently used to measure PROM of the knee. M Watkins, MS, PT, is Director of Physical Therapy, Glens Falls Hospital, 100 Park St, Glens Falls, NY 12801 (USA). This study was completed in panial fulfillment of the requirements for Mr Watkins's Master of Science Degree in Physical Therapy. Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. Address all correspondence t o Mr Watkins. D Riddle, MS, PT, is Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health Professions, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 224, MCV Station, Richmond, VA 23298. R Lamb, PhD, PT, is Associate Professor and Chairman, Depanment of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Healtk. Professions, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University. W Personius. PhD, PT, is Professor and Chairman, Department of Physical Therapy, Shenandoah College and Conservatoly-Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, VA 22601. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Virginia Commonwealth University. Many times, however, a visual estimation of the PROM is made in lieu of using a goniometer. If PROM measurements are to be useful to the physical therapist, the reliability of the measurements must be established. Reliability is defined as the consistency of a measurement.' Because PROM measurements are taken on a patient several times, and often by different therapists, intratester and intertester reliability are essential if the measurements are to be meaningful.' Few studies have examined the reliability for PROM measurements of the knee taken in a clinical setting. Rothstein and colleagues3 examined This article was submitted May 18, 1990, and was accepted September 24, 1990. Physical Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 90 / 15 the intratester and intertester reliability of PROM measurements taken on 12 patients' knees. Twelve randomly paired physical therapists measured passive knee flexion and extension on patients who required knee PROM measurements as part of their physical therapy examination. Therapists were allowed to use their own techniques while taking measurements. The authors reported good intratester reliability for measurements of flexion and extension and good intertester reliability for flexion measurements. Intertester reliability for knee extension measurements was reported as being poor. Apost hoc analysis revealed intertester reliability for knee extension measurements improved when paired therapists used the same patient position during the measurements. This finding suggests patient position needs to be controlled during knee extension measurements to minimize error. However, as the authors indicated, because the study was done in one clinical setting on a small sample, the results may not be generalizable to other clinics. Based on our experience, therapists frequently visually estimate the PROM of their patients' knees. Therapists also may take goniometric measurements and visual estimates of a patient's knee PROM during the course of treatment. Goniometry and visual estimation of a patient's range of motion (ROM) are parallel forms of the same test. Parallel-forms reliability is determined by comparing the measurements taken with two methods and describes the extent to which measurements obtained with two methods are interchangeable.4 The parallel-forms reliability for goniometric measurements and visual estimates of the PROM of the knee has not been examined. Opinions regardng the usefulness of visual estimates of PROM vary. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)5 and Rowe6 have suggested that visual estimation is more accurate than using a goniometer to measure ROM when bony land- marks are not easily seen or palpated. By contrast, Moore,' Minor and Minor: and Salter9 have stated that goniometric measurements are more reliable than visual estimates. None of these authors provided data to support their arguments. There has been only one study that has examined the reliability of visual estimates of PROM of the knee. Marks and associates1° investigated the reliability for visual estimates of knee ROM taken by three physicians on rheumatoid arthritic patients. Marks et a1 reported good intratester and intertester reliability. Although this study was done in a clinical setting, the measurements were obtained by physicians, which may not reflect the reliability of measurements taken by physical therapists. The reliability for visual estimates of knee PROM has not been examined in a physical therapy setting. In addition, the parallel-forms reliability of goniometric measurements and visual estimates of the PROM of the knee has not been examined. Finally, even though Rothstein et a13 reported the reliability for goniometric PROM measurements of the knee taken on patients, the sample size was small. A study that examines the reliability of goniometric measurements and visual estimates of knee PROM obtained on a large sample of patients would further elucidate the usefulness of these measurements. Our study was divided into two parts. Part 1 was designed to replicate part of the study of Rothstein et al? but to use a different statistical test. Rothstein et a13 used a less conservative form of the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), which, we believe, underestimates error.11 In part 1,we examined the intratester and intertester reliability for goniometric PROM measurements of the knee. The purpose of pan 2 of our study was to examine the parallel-forms intratester reliability for goniometric measurements and visual estimates of knee flexion and extension. In addition, the parallelforms intertester reliability of goniometric measurements and visual esti- mates of the knee was examined. The intertester reliability for visual estimates of knee flexion and extension was also examined. Because we believed that therapists would likely be biased by their first measurements, we chose not to examine the intratester reliability for visual estimates of the knee. Method Subjects Subjects for this study were 43 patients referred to the Physical Therapy Department, Medical College of Virginia Hospital (MCVH), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va. Criteria for admission to this study were that each patient was at least 18 years of age and that the patient's examination would normally include PROM measurements of the knee. Both knees of 7 of the 43 patients were measured; therefore, a total of 50 sets of measurements were obtained. The subjects consisted of 29 males and 14 females. The ages of the subjects ranged from 18 to 80 years @= 39.5, SD=15.0). Age, sex, height, weight, diagnosis, and extremity tested were recorded for each subject (Tab. 1). These data were collected for a posteriori analyses to determine whether any of these factors may have influenced reliability. All subjects signed a consent form prior to participation in the study. Testers All testers were full-time staff physical therapists who treated adult patients at MCVH. The 14 therapists had a mean of 7.2 years of experience (SD =4.0) and had graduated from 12 different physical therapy schools. Additional information collected was the age, sex, area of specialty, and the number of times per week each therapist visually estimated the PROM of the knee and recorded the value on the chart (Tab. 2). These factors were collected for a posteriori analyses to determine whether any of these variables may have influenced reliability. Physical Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2/February 1991 Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 % Table 1 . Characteristics of Patient Sample (N=43) Variable Number of subjects Male Female therapist was given a different random list of names of the other therapists. When a therapist identified a patient as being appropriate for the study, that therapist would take the first set of measurements. The second tester was then determined from the first tester's random list. This method provided a random pairing of therapists for each patient admitted to the study. Age (Y) x A recorder (MAW) was responsible for reading and recording all measurements and for recording the patient position used for each measurement. Patient position was recorded for a posteriori analyses to determine whether positioning influenced reliability. SD Range Weight (kg1 X SD Range Height (cm) X SD Range Number of right knees measured Number of left knees measured Diagnostic categories " Fractures (2) o r other injury (1) not requiring surgery. Arthroscopies (1 I), anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (5),fractures ( 4 ) , knee replacement (I), medial collateral ligament repair ( I ) , osteochondroma excision (1). 'Head injuries ( 5 ) , spinal cord injury (I), cerebrovascular accident ( I ) , nlultiple sclerosis (1). 'Hemophilia (6), rheumatoid arthritis (I), diabetes (I), burns (1) 'Below-knee amputees. Instrumentation Three plastic goniometers,* each with a 12.7-cm (5-in) moveable arm and a scale marked in 1-degree increments, were used to take measurements. We chose this size of goniometer because we believe these types of goniometers are frequently used on patients with knee problems. The accuracy of each goniometer was assessed prior to the beginning of the study by measuring 10 randomly selected angles drawn by use of a protractor. The three goni- ometers measured all angles accurately. The goniometer scales were covered with contact paper on the side facing the testers so they could not read the measurements. The other side was left uncovered, which allowed the recorder to read the measurements. Procedure The procedure chosen for this study was a modification of the procedures described by Rothstein et al.3 Each 'ConvaCare Inc, PO Box 19747, Raleigh, NC 27619. Physical Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 When an appropriate patient was identified, the therapist who identified the patient (the referring therapist) notified the recorder. The recorder then identified the second tester by proceeding down the random list of the referring therapist to the name of the next available therapist. The referring therapist first visually estimated the PROM of the knee flexion and extension, in that order. Visual estimates were done first because we felt that if the goniometer was used first, the angle made by the goniometer arms might influence the visual estimate. The therapist recorded the measurements on a piece of paper provided by the recorder and then handed the paper to the recorder. The referring therapist then used the blinded goniometer to measure passive knee flexion twice and knee extension twice, in that order. When the arms of the goniometer had been aligned to the therapist's satisfaction, the goniometer was handed to the recorder. The recorder read the value from the goniometer and recorded the value. After recording each measurement, the recorder positioned the goniometer arms back to the zerodegree position. After each measurement, the subject's limb was repositioned in its starting position. After the referring therapist obtained the six measurements, the second tester (retest therapist) took the six measurements in the same order as Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 - calculated by comparing the first and second goniometric measurements taken by each tester. The referring therapists and the retest therapists each obtained 50 paired measurements for each motion; therefore, a total of 100 paired measurements were obtained for each motion. The ICCs for intertester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion and extension were calculated by comparing the first goniometric measurements for each pair of testers. Table 2. Characteristics of Participating Therapists (N=14) Variable Range Experience (y) X Range MCVHa experience (y) K SD Range Visually estimateb 1 timelwk Visually estimate >1 timelwk Did not visually estimate Therapist specialty General Orthopedic - " Medical College of Virginia Hospital Number of times per week a therapist reported visually estimating knee passive range of motion and recording the value on the chart. the referring therapist. To minimize bias, the retest therapist did not observe the referring therapist taking measurements. Throughout the study, all therapists were allowed to use their own methods for positioning the patient and the goniometer. Part 2. The ICCs for parallel-forms intratester reliability for measurements obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation were calculated by comparing the visual estimate and the first goniometric measurement obtained by each tester. The ICCs for parallel-forms intertester reliability for measurements obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation were calculated in the following way. The visual estimates obtained by the referring therapists were compared with the first goniometric measurements obtained by the retest therapists. In addition, the first goniometric measurements obtained by the referring therapists were compared with the visual estimates obtained by the retest therapists. The referring therapists and the retest therapists each obtained 50 paired measurements for each motion; therefore, a total of 100 paired measurements were obtained for each motion. The ICCs for intertester reliability for visual estimates of knee flexion and extension were calculated by comparing the visual estimates for each pair of testers. Therefore, there were 50 pairs of measurements for each motion. Results The means, standard deviations, and ranges for all goniometric measurements and visual estimates obtained in this study are summarized in Table 3. Part 1 The ICCs for intratester reliability of measurements obtained with a goniometer were .99 for knee flexion and .98 for knee extension. The ICC values for intertester reliability of measurements obtained with a goniometer were .90 for knee flexion and .86 for knee extension (Tab. 4). Table 3. Range-of-Motion Measurements and Visual Estimates (in Degrees) of Involved Knees of Patients (N=50 Knees) Tester 1 Measurement TZ Tester 2 SD Range - Data Analysis The ICC (1,1), as described by Shrout and Fleiss,lZ was used to describe the degree of reliability of the measurements. We chose this form of the ICC because we believe it best reflects the error that can be expected when a therapist takes a PROM measurement on a patient." - % - - SD - Range - VE flexiona 104 31 35-1 55 108 30 40-1 75 Gon flexion l b 107 26 43-1 49 105 26 46-1 51 Gon flex~on2" 108 26 44-1 49 105 26 49-1 54 VE extensiond - 10 13 -45-1 0 -12 17 - 75-0 Gon extension 1" -12 14 -50-7 -13 16 -65-2 Gon extension 2' -13 15 -5L11 -13 17 -67-1 - " VE flexion=visual - - estimate for flexion. Gon flexion 1 =first goniometric measurement for flexion. 'Gon flexion 2=second goniometric measurement for flexion. Part 1. The ICCs for intratester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion and extension were 18/93 extension=visual estimate for extension. " Gon extension 1 =first goniometric measurement for extension. Gon extension 2=second goniometric measurement for extension. Physical Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 Part 2 The ICC values for the parallel-forms intratester reliability of goniometric measurements and visual estimates were .93 for flexion and .94 for exten. sion. The ICC values for the parallelforms intertester reliability of goniometric measurements and visual estimates were .86 for flexion and .82 for extension. The ICC values for intertester reliability of visual estimates were .83 for knee flexion and .82 for knee extension (Tab. 4). Part 1 Goniometric PROM measurements of knee flexion and extension were highly reliable when the same therapist took repeated measurements. This finding of high intratester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion and extension agrees with the results of Rothstein et al.3 The intertester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion and extension was also high, but not as high as intratester reliability. To minimize error, PROM measurements of the knee should be taken on a patient by the same therapist. Although the additional error associated with measurements taken by different therapists is small, this small increase in error may affect the usefulness of these measurements. Rothstein et a1 reported "relatively poor intertester reliability"3@lG13) for goniometl-ic PROM measurements of knee extension, with ICCs ranging from .59 to .80. Our study demonstrated higher intertester reliability for knee extension measurements (ICC = 86). The larger sample size could explain the higher intertester reliability estimate for knee extension measurements. It has also been suggested that the reliability for measurements obtained at one facility may not be eenera1ize:d to all facilities.3J3 Both " studies, however, were in agreement that the reliability of knee extension measurements was lower than for knee flexion measurements. Rothstein et a13 used formula (E4) of the ICC described by Bartko and Carpenter,l* which is less conservative than the ICC (1,l) used in our study.l5 Therefore, relative to our study, the results obtained by Rothstein et a1 provided an overestimation of the degree of reliability. The results of our study, however, demonstrated similar or higher reliability estimates compared with those reported by Rothstein et al. ability for some measurements.3 Rothstein et a13 demonstrated that the intertester reliability for knee extension PROM measurements noticeably decreased when different patient positions were used by both therapists. An a posteriori analysis of our study demonstrated that the intertester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee extension decreased only slightly when patient position was different for paired therapists (Tab. 5). The error associated with knee extension measurements was also slightly Patient positioning has been considered a factor that may influence religreater when paired therapists used different patient positions during measurements (Tab. 5). This finding is different from that of Rothstein et a1 and suggests that patient position durTable 4. Intratester and Intertester ing knee extension PROM measureReliability for Knee Flexion and ments contributes only slightly to the Extension Measurements error associated with these measurements. Although the error associated lntratester Intertester with using different patient positions -Method N" ICCb N ICC during knee PROM measurements is only slightly greater than the error present when the same position is Flexion used, we recommend standardizing Goniometer 100 .99 50 .90 patient position to minimize error. Visual estimation ... ... 50 .83 - Between methodsC 100 .93 100 .86 Part 2 The parallel-forms intratester reliability for PROM measurements obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation was high for knee flexion and extension measurements. The reliability, however, was not as high as the intratester reliability for goniometric measurements of knee flexion Extension Goniometer 100 .98 50 .86 Visual estimation ... ... 50 .82 100 .94 100 .82 - Between methods a N=number of paired measurements. ICC=intraclass correlation coefficient (1,l). 'Visual estimate was compared with first goniometric measurement for each tester. Table 5. Intertester Reliability When Paired Testers Used the Same and Dzfferenl Patient Positions ICC' Jolnt Motion N Posltlon Gonlometer Flexion 35 Same .92 15 Different .85 38 Same .87 12 Different .84 Extension a Visual Estlmatlon ICC=intracIass correlation coefficient (1,l). N=number of paired therapists. Physical Therapy/Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 94 / 19 and extension. Interchanging goniometric measurements and visual estimates of knee flexion o r extension, therefore, may introduce a small amount of additional error. A therapist's ability to detect changes on the order of a few degrees, on average, may be compromised when visually estimating a patient's PROM. The additional measurement error could result in a therapist making an incorrect decision when assessing for a small change in a patient's PROM. Table 6. Intratester and Intertester Reliability for Measurements Obtained from Patients Representing Dgerent Diagnostic Categories Flexlon Diagnostlc Category N" Goniorneter Extension VEb Between Methodsc Gonlorneter VE Between Methods Nonsurgical lntratester 6 lntertester 3 Surgical The parallel-forms intertester reliability for PROM measurements obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation was fair for knee flexion and extension measurements. The intertester reliability for goniometric measurements was slightly higher than the parallel-forms intertester reliability for these measurements. When different therapists must measure a patient's knee PROM, error can be minimized if both therapists use a goniometer. lntratester 46 lntertester 23 Neurological lntratester 18 lntertester 9 Medical-surgical lntratester 18 lntertester 9 Amputees lntratester 12 lntertester 6 N=number of paired measurements The intertester reliability for measurements of knee flexion and extension obtained by visual estimation was fair, but better than we expected. Based on our clinical experience, we would have expected lower reliability. This finding, that different therapists can fairly reliably estimate knee ROM, is in general agreement with the findings of Marks and colleagues.1° However, the intertester reliability for goniometric measurements was higher than for visual estimates of knee flexion and extension. Therapists will minimize error in their measurements if they take measurements on a patient with a goniometer. This finding supports claims by Moore,' Minor and MinoP, and Salter9 that measurements obtained with a goniometer are more reliable than visual estimates of PROM. An a posteriori analysis similar to the study of Riddle et all3 was performed to determine the effect of different diagnoses on reliability (Tab. 6). Patient diagnosis did not appear to affect intratester reliability, except for parallel-forms reliability of measurements taken on below-knee amputees. Visual estimation Reliability comparing first goniometric measurement with visual estimate. The N for intertester reliability is equivalent to the intratester reliability for these measurements. Intertester reliability was generally poor (ICCs= .03-.76) for measurements taken on below-knee amputees. Because the involved knees of patients with below-knee amputations have shorter distal limb segments, therapists may have difficulty aligning a goniometer o r estimating the knee's position during PROM measurements. The small sample of amputees does not allow us to make conclusions about the reliability of PROM measurements taken on these patients. Our study does suggest that the reliability for PROM measurements of the knee, taken on below-knee amputees, should be investigated further. This study examined the reliability of PROM measurements of the knee obtained by use of a goniometer and by visual estimation. The reliability for goniometric measurements of the shoulder, elbow, ankle, and foot have also been examined on appropriate patient~.3.~3.~~ However, the reliability for visual estimates of the PROM present at these joints has yet to be examined. The reliability for goniometric measurements and visual estimates also needs to be examined for the wrist, hip, and hand. In addition, an examination of the reliability for active ROM measurements of joints measured clinically is needed. Conclusions Goniometric PROM measurements of knee flexion and extension are highly reliable when taken by the same physical therapist. Goniometric measurements of the PROM of a patient's knee taken by different therapists will not be as reliable as when the same therapist takes the measurements. Visual estimates of knee PROM will add slightly more error to the therapist's measurements than those taken with a goniometer. The additional error associated with visual estimates could affect the usefulness of the mea- Physical Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 surements if a therapist is attempting to detect small changes in a patient's different must measure a patient's PROM, therapists can minimize error by using a goniometer and by standardizing patient position. Acknowledgments We would like to thank the entire staff of the Medical College of Virginia Hospital Physical Therapy Department, whose efforts made this study possible. References 1 Kerlinger FN. Foundations of Behavioral Research. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehan & Winston Inc; 1973. 2 hliller JP Assessment of joint motion. In: Rothstein JM, ed Measurement in Physical Theram. New York, NY; Churchill Livingstone InC; 1985:103-136. 3 Rothstein JM, Miller PJ, Roettger RF. Goniometric reliability in a clinical setting: elbow and knee measurements. ~ h y Ther. s 1983; 4 Rothstein JM. Measurement and clinical practice: theory and application. In: Rothstein JM, ed. Measurement in Physical Therapy. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone Inc; 1985: 146. 5 Joint Motion: A Method of Measuring and Recording. Chicago, 111: American Academy of Onhopaedic Surgeons; 1965:8. 6 Rowe CR. Joint measurement in disability evaluation. Clin Orthop. 1964;32:43-53. 7 Moore ML. The measurement of joint motion, pan I: introductory review of the literature. Phys Ther Rev. 1949;29:195-205. 8 Minor MA, Minor SD. Patient Evaluation Methods for the Health Professional. Reston, Va: Reston Publishing; 1985. 9 Salter N. Methods of measurement of muscle and joint function.J Bone Joint Surg [Brl. 1955;37:474491. 10 Marks JS, Palmer MK, Burke MJ, et al. Observer variation in the examination of knee joints. Ann Rheum Dis. 1978;37:37637. 11 Lovell FW, Rothstein JM, Personius WJ. Reliability of clinical measurements of lumbar lordosis taken with a flexible rule. PLys Ther 1989;69:96105. 12 Shrout PE, Fleiss JL. Intraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability. Psychol Bull. 1979;86:420428. 13 Riddle DL, Rothstein JM, Lamb RL. Goniometric reliability in a clinical setting: shoulder measurements. Phys Ther. 1987;67:66&673. 14 Banko JJ, Carpenter WT. On the methods and theory of reliability.J New Ment Dis. 1976;163:307-317. 15 Lovell FW, Rothstein JM, Personius WJ. Reliability of clinical measurements of lumbar lordosis taken with a flexible rule. Phys Ther. 1989;69:96105. 16 Elveru RA, Rothstein JM, Lamb RL. Goniometric reliability in a clinical setting: subtalar and ankle joint measurements. Phys Ther. 1988;68:672477. Commentary We applaud Watkins et al for an excellent contribution to our scientific body of knowledge. Using a method originally described in 1983 by Rothstein et al,' the authors have provided physical therapists with clinically useful information regarding the reliability of measurements of peripheral joint range of motion (ROM) using convc:ntional goniometric procedures. This study is important because it replicates, in part, a previous study that described the intratester and intertester reliabilities of measurements of passive range of motion (PROM) of the knee. Watkins et al, however, expanded their current investigation to include the reliability of PROM measurements of the knee using techniques of visual estimation. Using controlle~iobservations, the authors have confirmed the clinical impressions of many, that visual estimation has greater potential for measurement error than goniometric techniques when examiners measure joint ROM in patients. A critical review of this article indi- cates that the investigators were meticulous in describing the characteristics of the subjects and examiners and in analyzing the data. We were impressed with Table 5, which partitions the 43 patients into five diagnostic categories and supplies the reader with important clinical information. We have two critical comments that we would like the authors to consider. First, we believe the intratester intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values for knee flexion (ICC =.99) and extension (ICC =.98) are extraordinarily high, if one considers the measurements were obtained on patients in a busy clinical department and analyzed with a conservative form of the ICC2 Other investigators3-5 have suggested that peripheral joint PROM measurements are more difficult to measure reliably than active ROM measurements because the stretching of soft tissue structures at end ranges is dependent on the force the exam- Physical 'Therapy /Volume 71, Number 2 /February 1991 iner applies to the limbs. We believe the small amount of intratester measurement error reported by Watkins et a1 may be attributed to the method used to make the repeated measurements. The time interval between two successive measures of PROM of knee flexion or extension was so brief (perhaps less than 30 seconds) that the examiner could have retained a mental image of the joint's first end point, even though the PROM was obtained with a blinded hand-held goniometer. This mental image possibly could guide the examiner's second measurement, resulting in an underestimation of the true measurement error. Second, we would suggest that Watkins et a1 specifically define their ranges of ICC values associated with high, good, fair, or poor reliability. Such labels and their associated ICC values would offer the reader a conventional frame of reference for interpreting the data. Downloaded from http://ptjournal.apta.org/ by guest on March 5, 2014 Reliability of Goniometric Measurements and Visual Estimates of Knee Range of Motion Obtained in a Clinical Setting Michael A Watkins, Dan L Riddle, Robert L Lamb and Walter J Personius PHYS THER. 1991; 71:90-96. 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