BACKGROUND: Factors that contribute towards the efficiency of joint mobilization maneuvers is the intensity and reproducibility of the force applied during mobilization, by one or more examiners. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intra and inter-examiner reliability of Maitland grade III and IV anteroposterior mobilization force on the ankle joint. METHOD: Two experienced examiners mobilized both ankles of thirty-five healthy subjects. A force platform was positioned under the calves of these subjects to detect the forces applied during the maneuvers. The signals were converted and recorded using the DasyLab 4.0 software. The maximum and minimum peak forces from the curves obtained were then analyzed. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the intra and inter-examiner reliability. To evaluate any systematic error in the measurements, the paired t-test was utilized on the intra-examiner data and the t-test for independent samples for the inter-examiner data. The Bland & Altman method was used to assess the concordance limits for the measurements from the two examiners. RESULTS: The data showed high intra-examiner reliability. The inter-examiner reliability was low and moderate for the maximum and minimum forces respectively, during anteroposterior mobilization of the ankle joint. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the force applied during Maitland grade III and IV mobilization of the ankle joint presents high intra-examiner reliability and low inter-examiner reliability.
joint mobilization; reliability; force platform; ankle joint; manual therapy; Maitland
