Reproducibility of Task-Oriented Bimanual and Unimanual Strength Measurement in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Mellanie Geijen*, Eugene Rameckers, Marlous Schnackers, Carolien Bastiaenen, Andrew Gordon, Lucianne Speth, Rob Smeets

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Aim: To examine reproducibility of the arm-hand strength measured while performing the bimanual crate task and the unimanual pitcher task. Methods: 105 children diagnosed with unilateral Cerebral Palsy, aged between 6 and 18 years, participated in this study. The test-retest reliability of the force generated during bimanual crate task and unimanual pitcher task of the Task-oriented Arm-hAnd Capacity instrument was investigated using intraclass correlation two-way random model with absolute agreement. The intraclass correlations were calculated for two age groups (6-12 and 13-18 years old). Results: The results showed good test-retest reliability for the crate and pitcher task with the non-affected hand for both age groups. The results of the pitcher task for the affected hand showed moderate test-retest reliability for both age groups. Conclusion: The Task-oriented Arm-hAnd Capacity instrument has moderate to good test-retest reliability. It is a simple and objective instrument to assess task-oriented strength in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)420-432
Number of pages13
JournalPhysical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
Volume39
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Jul 2019

Keywords

  • Cerebral palsy
  • upper extremity
  • muscle strength
  • task-oriented
  • test-retest reliability
  • HAND-HELD DYNAMOMETRY
  • TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY
  • MUSCLE STRENGTH
  • UPPER-LIMB
  • LOWER-EXTREMITY
  • YOUNG-CHILDREN
  • FEASIBILITY
  • MANAGEMENT

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