| Sumario: | Background: An increasing awareness among parents with regard to the foot posture of their children, clinical evaluation has become necessary. Several researches have explored various clinical methods for foot posture measurement. However, studies investigating simple clinical techniques with standard tools are limited. Objectives: To examine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and also sensitivity and specificity of a technique described by UB. Rao and B. Joseph in 1992 as compared to Staheli's Arch Index (SAI) and Chipaux-Smirak Index (CSI) Methods: Static foot prints of 16 normally developing asymptomatic children were subjected to the SAI, CSI and the technique described by U.B. Rao and B. Joseph, for assessment of the medial longitudinal arch. The footprints were classified into flat foot and non-flat foot and further subjected to data analysis. Results: The tool tested had a strong to excellent intra-rater (test-retest) reliability with an ICC=1, at 95%CI. The tool also had strong to perfect inter-rater reliability with K= 0.84-1. The tool when compared with CSI and SAI had 100% positive predictive value and specificity. The tool had a higher level of sensitivity with CSI as compared to SAI. Conclusions: The tool described by U. B. Rao and B. Joseph can be a simple and quick clinical foot print assessment tool for evaluation of flat foot in children as it has perfect intra-rater (test-retest) reliability and strong to perfect inter-rater reliability.
|
|---|