2025-2026 Grant in Aid of Research
Intra-rater and Inter-rater Reliability for detecting Aberrant Movement through visual observation while doing the Single Step Test in healthy subjects.
Carol Macomber.
The single step test (SST) has been shown to be a reliable measure between testers and a responsive and valid test of functional activity limitations as well as assessing unilateral lower extremity impairments. The SST is a timed test in which the subject steps up on a 20 cm/eight-inch step to assess the objective neuromuscular strength performance capacity of unilateral strength of a lower extremity. There is no current tool that assesses the quality of movement to measure proprioceptive neuromuscular control and a possible indicator of fatigue. The purpose of this innovative study, the Single Step Test with Aberrant Movement (SSTAM) is to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the SST with the inclusion of the assessment of when aberrant movement occurs. This test assumes correct alignment of the joint by using good sensory-neuro motor control and an assessment of how it affects the performance capacity and fatigue levels of a subject’s neuromuscular strength performance. Subjects will be asked to step up (on) and down (off) an eight-inch step to the point of exhaustion, maintaining the center of the knee over the second toe. Data will be analyzed by the visual observation of twelve physical therapists (of varying experience levels and a broad spectrum of treatment demographics) using a two-dimensional video. 30 subjects will be needed for the video recording part of the study. The Single Step Test with Aberrant Movement will assess intra-rater and inter-rater reliability to determine when sustained aberrant movement occurs during the Single Step Test through video derived visual observation.