Eechaute, Christophe; Vaes, Peter; Duquet, William
The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a clinical evaluation method for the assessment of the dynamic postural control in patients with chronic ankle instability (CAI). Twenty-nine healthy subjects and 29 patients with CAI performed twice a multiple hop test within a 1-week time interval. Subjects hopped on 10 different tape markers while trying to avoid any postural correction. The number and type of balance errors were documented by analyzing the digital video images. Test-retest reliability of the number of balance errors was excellent in patients and moderate in healthy subjects. The intra-observer and inter-observer reliability was excellent. Both for the test and for the retest, the number of balance errors in patients was significantly higher when compared with healthy subjects.
The multiple hop test is a reliable and valid test for detecting an impaired dynamic postural control in patients with CAI.