Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability and agreement of measures of lower
extremity muscle strength, power and functional performance in patients with hip
osteoarthritis at different time intervals, and to compare these with the same
measures in healthy peers. DESIGN: Intra-rater test-retest separated by 1, 2, or
2.5 weeks in patients, and 1 week in healthy peers. SUBJECTS: Patients with hip
osteoarthritis (age range 61-83 years) with 1 (n = 37), 2 (n = 35), or 2.5 weeks
(n = 15) between tests, and 35 healthy peers (age range 63-82 years). METHODS:
Maximal isometric hip and thigh strength, leg extensor power, and functional
performance (8-foot Up & Go, stair climbing, chair stand and 6-min walk) were
measured in patients, and quadriceps strength, leg extensor power and functional
performance were measured in healthy peers. Systematic error, reliability and
agreement were calculated. RESULTS: Most hip strength measurements for the most
symptomatic extremity, and nearly all strength measurements for the least
symptomatic lower extremity, declined after 1 week (p < 0.05), but not after a
2.5-week interval. In healthy peers, quadriceps strength was unchanged.
Regardless of the time interval, leg extensor power was unchanged, while
functional performances improved at retest for all participants. CONCLUSION: In
patients with hip osteoarthritis leg extensor power is unaffected by the time
interval between tests, in contrast to muscle strength and functional performance.

Langue : ANGLAIS