ORIGINAL PAPER
Reliability and minimal detectable change of the Step Test in patients with knee osteoarthritis
 
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1
Graduate School of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Balçova-Izmir, Turkey
 
2
School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Dokuz Eylul University, Balçova-Izmir, Turkey
 
3
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Balçova-Izmir, Turkey
 
 
Submission date: 2020-06-10
 
 
Acceptance date: 2020-07-08
 
 
Publication date: 2022-03-29
 
 
Physiother Quart. 2022;30(1):14-17
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The study aim was to evaluate the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of the Step Test in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods:
The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess the test-retest reliability of the Step Test. The minimal detectable change with 95% confidence interval (MDC95) was calculated to determine the true change. The inclusion criteria involved a diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis and age of ≥ 40 years.

Results:
Thirty-eight participants who met the inclusion criteria were investigated. Seven were male and the mean age equalled 61.23 ± 9.31 years. Three patients had radiographic findings indicative of Kellgren-Lawrence grade II, 10 of grade III, and 25 of grade IV. The Step Test presented excellent test-retest reliability. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.97, standard error of the mean was 0.46, and the MDC95 was 1.27.

Conclusions:
The Step Test is a reliable outcome measurement for the assessment of balance in patients with knee osteoarthritis, and it showed excellent test-retest reliability in these patients. The test may assist clinicians and researchers in evaluating balance and planning rehabilitation in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

 
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