Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether appropriate inter-rater reliability of goniometric measurement could be achieved in children with cerebral palsy (CP) by a less-experienced and more-experienced therapist within the same session in a clinic setting.
Subjects: Twenty-five children with spastic CP underwent goniometric measurement of their right and/or left legs (46 legs).
Methods: Two pediatric physical therapists, with 10 and one year of experience measured five lower-extremity motions within the same session. Standard positioning, stabilization, and bony landmarks were reviewed before the study.
Results: Interclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.582 (hip extension) to 0.929 (popliteal angle).
Conclusion: Our data are in agreement with the literature on the reliability of range of motion measurements in children with CP. As a result, we were able to show that inter-rater goniometric reliability can be established between a less-experienced and more-experienced therapist within the same session.