Intertester reliability of the cervical range of motion device

Abstract

Intertester reliability is important for longitudinal assessment of patients by two different clinicians. The purpose of this study was to investigate the intertester reliability of the cervical range of motion device (CROM). The CROM was used to measure subjects with a history of cervical dysfunction. The sample consisted of 22 subjects (15 female and 7 male). Active cervical flexion, extension, right and left rotation, and right and left lateral flexion were measured with the client in the sitting position. Moderate to high intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC = +.76 to +.98) were found between testers. Furthermore, the mean differences between testers were also consistently low for all six measurements (.5-3.6°). These data suggest the CROM is a reliable measuring tool between testers for cervical range of motion.