Measurement of muscle strength of triceps surae with a hand-held dynamometer

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of measurement of a fixed belt which was developed for the measurement of muscle strength of triceps surae with a Hand-Held Dynamometer (HHD). [Subjects] We studied 22 legs of 11 healthy adults for intra-rater reliability, and 20 legs of 10 healthy adults for inter-rater reliability. [Methods] The subjects put their hands posterolateraly in the long sitting position for the measurement of muscle strength of triceps surae. After sufficient practice, isometric foot plantar flexion exercise with the fixed belt was measured and we studied the reliability with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). [Results] The intra-rater reliability was 0.924 (ICC) and the inter-rater reliability was 0.809 (ICC). [Conclusion] It is possible to make objective and reliable measurements which are suitable for clinical use by any measurer.