Inter-rater reliability of real-time compared to recorded single-leg squat assessment with the qualitative analysis of single leg loading assessment tool (QASLS) in healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND

The analysis of single-leg (SL) tasks' movement quality helps assess lower limb injury risk. 3D motion capture is the gold standard, but it is costly and often inaccessible. The Qualitative Analysis of Single Leg Loading Assessment Tool (QASLS) offers a reliable and valid alternative. No study compared real-time vs. video-recorded QASLS assessments of single-leg squat (SLS).

OBJECTIVES

Comparing the real-time vs. video-recorded QASLS assessment reliability of SLS.

DESIGN

Reliability study.

METHODS

100 healthy individuals were included, performing 10 video-recorded SLS per lower limb. An assessor scored them real-time, and an independent rater evaluated the video-recorded tests, both with QASLS. Wilcoxon test was used to study the difference between assessments; inter-rater reliability between real-time vs. video-recorded QASLS assessments was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with the 95 % confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

Wilcoxon test reported significant differences emerged between left real-time and recorded QASLS (Z = -2.780; p = 0.005) and right + left real-time and recorded QASLS (Z = -2.976; p = 0.003); not between right real-time and recorded QASLS (Z = -1.331; p = 0.183). Inter-rater reliability was poor between left real-time and recorded QASLS (ICC = 0.306; 95 % CI:0.118, 0.473) and right + left real-time and recorded QASLS (ICC = 0.425; 95 % CI:0.304, 0.532), and moderate between right real-time and recorded QASLS (ICC = 0.524; 95 % CI:0.365, 0.652).

CONCLUSIONS

SLS evaluation with QASLS should be conducted on video-recorded playbacks rather than real-time, since the latter assessment is not reliable.