Intratester and Intertester Reliability of the Palpation Meter (PALM) in Measuring Pelvic Position

Abstract

This study determined the intra- and intertester reliability of the Palpation Meter (PALM) in measuring frontal and sagittal plane pelvic positions among asymptomatic adults during static standing. Four examiners measured 24 physical therapy students in two trials. The sagittal plane measurement was taken as the angle formed by a line connecting the ASIS and PSIS versus the horizontal. The frontal plane measurement was taken as the angle formed by a line connecting the superior border of the iliac crests versus the horizontal. Unlike previous studies, this study attempted to replicate the realities of clinical practice by using the PALM to perform measurements over clothing without applying adhesive markers for landmarks, and without controls for postural sway. Intraclass correlation coefficients suggest intratester reliability was high for both frontal (0.84) and sagittal plane measures (0.98), and intertester reliability was high for sagittal plane measures (0.89) but moderate for frontal plane measures (0.65). Standard error of the means for frontal and sagittal plane measures are presented, and clinicians are cautioned to observe the limitations of precision inherent in this device.

Keywords:

• Reliability
• Posture
• PALM