RELIABILITY OF 3D FRONTAL PLANE KNEE AB/ADDUCTION RANGE OF MOTION DURING RUNNING IN YOUNG ATHLETES

Abstract

This study quantified within-session and between-session reliability of 3D frontal plane knee ab/adduction range of motion during the stance phase of running gait calculated for 18 long term athlete development programme participants (10 males and 8 females, 11.5 ±1.4 years) during two testing sessions (spaced 10 weeks apart). Average mean differences in frontal plane knee ab/adduction between running trials (for the right or left side) within a session (week 1 or week 10) ranged from 0.2 to 7.2% (ES 0.01–0.26) which were acceptable differences. However, average mean differences between sessions for running trials (for the right or left side) ranged from 0.1 to 20% (ES 0.01–0.6). The mixed model resulted in estimates of knee ab/adduction range of motion for effects of limb side (3.6°), session (2.8°), run trial (0.2°) and subjects (4.5°). Within-session ICCs ranged from 0.80 to 0.92 and between-session ICCs ranged from 0.51 to 0.73. Based on these ICCs, within-session reliability of frontal plane knee ab/adduction is good and between-session reliability is average to good.