Article

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.
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.

Langue : ANGLAIS