Measuring upper extremity muscle strength in children with cerebral palsy: can it be done reliably and how to interpret the results?

Background In order to make inferences about strength related to development or treatment interventions, it is important to use measurement instruments that have sound clinimetric properties. Purpose The objective of this review is to systematically evaluate the level of evidence of the clinimetric properties of instruments for measuring upper extremity muscle strength at the “body functions & structures” level of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY) for children with cerebral palsy (CP). Data Sources A systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE, OTseeker, CINAHL, PEDro, and MEDLINE databases up to November 2012 was performed. Study Selection Two independent raters identified and examined studies that reported the use of upper extremity strength measurement instruments and methods for children and adolescents with CP aged 0 to 18 years. Data Extraction The COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) checklist with 4-point rating scale was used by 2 independent raters to evaluate the methodological quality of the included studies. Best evidence synthesis was performed using COSMIN outcomes and the quality of the clinimetric properties. Data Synthesis Six different measurement instruments or methods were identified. Test-retest, interrater, and intrarater reliability were investigated. Two test-retest reliability studies were rated as “fair” for the level of evidence. All other studies were rated as “unknown” for the level of evidence. Limitations The paucity of literature describing clinimetric properties, especially other than reliability, of upper limb strength measurement instruments for children with CP was a limitation of the study. Conclusions For measuring grip strength, the Jamar dynamometer is recommended. For other muscle groups, handheld dynamometry is recommended. Manual muscle testing (MMT) can be used in case of limited (below MMT grade 4) wrist strength or for total upper limb muscle strength. Based on lacking information regarding other clinimetric properties, caution is advised regarding interpretation of the results.

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RESPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

10.26226/morressier.57d034d0d462b80292383406 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Baki Umut TUGAY

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Muscle Strength ◽

Respiratory Muscle ◽

Respiratory Muscle Strength ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy

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Reliability and validity of a computer game-based tool of upper extremity assessment for object manipulation tasks in children with cerebral palsy

Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering ◽

10.1177/20556683211014023 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 205566832110140

Author(s):

Anuprita Kanitkar ◽

Sanjay T Parmar ◽

Tony J Szturm ◽

Gayle Restall ◽

Gina Rempel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Upper Extremity ◽

Performance Measures ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Computer Game ◽

Object Manipulation ◽

Manual Dexterity ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy

Introduction A computer game-based upper extremity (CUE) assessment tool is developed to quantify manual dexterity of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). The purpose of this study was to determine test-retest reliability of the CUE performance measures (success rate, movement onset time, movement error, and movement variation) and convergent validity with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale version 2 (PDMS-2) and the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST). Methods Thirty-five children with CP aged four to ten years were tested on two occasions two weeks apart. Results CUE performance measures of five chosen object manipulation tasks exhibited high to moderate intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values. There was no significant difference in the CUE performance measures between test periods. With few exceptions, there was no significant correlation between the CUE performance measures and the PDMS-2 or the QUEST test scores. Conclusions The high to moderate ICC values and lack of systematic errors indicate that the CUE assessment tool has the ability to repeatedly record reliable performance measures of different object manipulation tasks. The lack of a correlation between the CUE and the PDMS-2 or QUEST scores indicates that performance measures of these assessment tools represent distinct attributes of manual dexterity.

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