Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of a performance battery testing for return-to-play decision after lateral ankle sprain

Abstract

A performance battery testing has been recommended as a suitable assessment for return-to-play decision after lateral ankle sprain in athletes. However, the reliability study of this testing is limited. The present study aimed to assess intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilityof the testing in 10 healthy amateur athletes (6 males and 4 females), a mean age (SD) 22.00 (3.20) years.Two physical therapists with different clinical experience evaluated physical function in amateur athletes by using the testing including the Dorsiflexion Lunge Test (DLT), the short version of the Star Excursion Balance Test (the short version of SEBT), the Vertical Jump Test (VJT) and Agility T–Test (ATT).The results demonstrated that the intraclass correlation coefficients for intra-rater reliability (ICC_{3, k} for DLT and the short version of SEBT; ICC_{3, 1} for VJT and ATT) of all four tests ranged 0.96 to 0.99. The intraclass correlation coefficients for inter-rater reliability (ICC_{2, k}for DLT and the short version of SEBT; ICC_{2, 1} for VJT and ATT) of all four tests ranged 0.94 to 0.99. The present findings show an excellent reliability for all four tests of the performance battery testing for return-to-play decision after lateral ankle sprain.