Reliability of Force-Platform Measures of Postural Sway and Expertise-Related Differences Publisher



Meshkati Z¹ ; Namazizadeh M² ; Salavati M³ ; Mazaheri M⁴
Source: Journal of Sport Rehabilitation Published:2011

Abstract

Context: Although reliability is a population-specific property, few studies have investigated the measurement error associated with force-platform parameters in athletic populations. Objective: To investigate the skill-related differences between athletes and nonathletes in reliability of center-of-pressure (COP) summary measures under eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions. Design: Test-retest reliability study. Setting: COP was recorded during double-leg quiet standing on a Kistler force platform before and after a fatiguing treadmill exercise, with EO and EC. Participants: 31 male participants including 15 athletes practiced in karate and 16 nonathletes. Main Outcome Measures: Standard deviation (SD) of amplitude, phase-plane portrait, SD of velocity, mean total velocity, and area were calculated from 30-s COP data. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement, and coefficient of variation (CV) were used as estimates of reliability and precision. Results: Higher ICCs were found for COP measures in the athlete (compared with the nonathlete) group, postfatigued (compared with prefatigued) condition, and EC (compared with EO) tests. CVs smaller than 15% were obtained for most of the COP measures. SD of velocity in the anteroposterior direction showed the highest reliability in most conditions. Conclusions: Tests with EC and to a lesser extent tests performed in the athlete group and in the postfatigued condition showed better reliability. © 2011 Human Kinetics, Inc.