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Reliability and Validity of Hand-Held Dynamometer and Hand-Held Sphygmomanometer for Testing Shoulder Isometric External and Internal Rotator Muscles Strength

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Abstract

Background

Shoulder strength evaluation is a recommended procedure in musculoskeletal rehabilitation.

Aim

To examine hand-held sphygmomanometer (HHS) and hand-held dynamometer (HHD) intra- and inter-rater reliability during isometric shoulder external and internal rotation strength testing in prone rotation position in asymptomatic participants, and to compare these two testing modalities.

Design

Reliability study.

Methods

A total of 20 asymptomatic participants (27.7 ± 7.4 years; 77.1 ± 10.1 kg) attended a strength assessment consisting of HHS and HHD tests. Reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), coefficient of variation (CV) with 95%CI, and standard error of measurement (SEM). Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were used to compare HHS and HHD testing modalities.

Results

“Good” to “excellent” intra (ICC range = 0.896 to 0.979) and inter-rater reliability scores (ICC range = 0.850 to 0.978) were displayed during both HHS and HHD tests during internal and external rotation strength assessments. Linear relationships between HHS and HHD measures were found, with coefficients of determination (R2) ranging between 0.60 and 0.79.

Conclusion

HHS and HHD resulted to be reliable strength assessment modalities for clinical practice. These assessment modes can be equally valid in assessing intra and inter-limb asymmetries in isometric shoulder rotation strength. The affordability and availability of HHS in ordinary clinical settings can facilitate its implementation in musculoskeletal practice.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Funding

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA 6027, Australia

    Francesco Bettariga

  2. School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA 6027, Australia

    Francesco Bettariga

  3. StudioErre, Via della Badia 18, Brescia 25127, Italy

    Francesco Bettariga & Lisa Mantovani

  4. Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy

    Nicola Francesco Lopomo

  5. Centro Medico e Fisioterapico, Via Roma 28, Gorle, Bergamo 24020, Italy

    Fabio Civera

  6. ReAct, Via Madonna della Neve 24, Bergamo 24121, Italy

    Fabio Civera & Luca Maestroni

  7. IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy

    Stefano Giuseppe Lazzarini

  8. London Sport Institute, School of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, Greenlands Lane, London, UK

    Luca Maestroni

Authors
  1. Francesco Bettariga
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Contributions

FB and LM: concept, design, testing and writing the first version of the manuscript. FB and FC: ethics. LM, NFL, SL and FB: statistical analysis. NFL, LiM, FC, SL: writing and editing of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francesco Bettariga.

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Conflict of Interest

Francesco Bettariga, Nicola Francesco Lopomo, Fabio Civera, Stefano Lazzarini, Lisa Mantovani, Luca Maestroni declare that they have no conflict of interest relevant to the content of this review.

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Bettariga, F., Lopomo, N.F., Civera, F. et al. Reliability and Validity of Hand-Held Dynamometer and Hand-Held Sphygmomanometer for Testing Shoulder Isometric External and Internal Rotator Muscles Strength. J. of SCI. IN SPORT AND EXERCISE (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42978-023-00232-1

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