Measurement of cervical sensorimotor control: the reliability of a continuous linear movement test

Sarah Michiels; Ann Hallemans; Paul Van de Heyning; Steven Truijen; Gaetane Stassijns; Floris Wuyts; Willem De Hertogh

doi:10.1016/j.math.2014.02.004

Measurement of cervical sensorimotor control: the reliability of a continuous linear movement test

Man Ther. 2014 Oct;19(5):399-404. doi: 10.1016/j.math.2014.02.004. Epub 2014 Mar 7.

Authors

Sarah Michiels¹, Ann Hallemans², Paul Van de Heyning², Steven Truijen³, Gaetane Stassijns⁴, Floris Wuyts⁵, Willem De Hertogh⁶

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium. Electronic address: sarah.michiels@uantwerpen.be.
² Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Motor Centre Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
³ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Motor Centre Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.
⁵ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium; Faculty of Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Multidisciplinary Motor Centre Antwerp, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.

PMID: 24656424
DOI: 10.1016/j.math.2014.02.004

Abstract

Background: Cervical sensorimotorcontrol (cSMC) is traditionally assessed by head repositioning accuracy (HRA) measurements. A disadvantage of the HRA measurements is their static character and lack of visual feedback. In 2008, Sjölander et al. developed a continuous linear movement test (CLMT). This CLMT uses several kinematic parameters, such as reduced range of motion (ROM), velocity and movement smoothness, to quantify altered sensorimotor functions.

Objective: Investigate the inter and intra rater reliability of a CLMT.

Design: Reliability study.

Methods: Fifty asymptomatic adults were recruited. Five outcome measures were obtained: the time (t) needed to perform one movement, variation in time (var-t), ROM, peak velocity (peak-v) and Jerk index (Cj). A 3D analysis of cervical movements during the CLMT was made using ZEBRIS™. MATLAB™ was used to process data provided by the ZEBRIS™ device. These data were used to calculate ICC or κw-values, depending on the normality of the distribution, using SPSS.

Results: The intra rater reliability shows slight to moderate agreement for t (ICC: 0.19-0.42 and κw: 0.42) and peak-v (κw: 0.27-0.47), moderate to substantial agreement for var-t (ICC: 0.54-0.73) and ROM (ICC: 0.43-0.65) and fair to substantial agreement for Cj (κw: 0.27-0.69). The inter rater reliability shows moderate to almost perfect agreement for t (ICC: 0.54-0.93), almost perfect agreement for var-t (κw: 0.81-0.96) and ROM (ICC: 0.86-0.95), slight to moderate agreement for peak-v (κw: -0.03-0.44) and slight to fair agreement for Cj (κw: 0.00-0.31).

Conclusion: Time and ROM are presently the most reliable outcome measures. However, it must be noted that the discriminant validity of the time parameters needs further investigation.

Keywords: Cervical spine; Measurement; Reliability; Sensorimotor control.

MeSH terms

Adult
Cervical Vertebrae / physiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Movement / physiology*
Neck Muscles / physiology
Posture / physiology*
Proprioception / physiology
Range of Motion, Articular / physiology*
Reproducibility of Results