Test-retest reliability of Motricity Index strength assessments for lower extremity in post stroke hemiparesis

The Motricity Index was used to measure strength in upper and lower extremities after stroke. The weighted score based on the ordinal 6 point scale of Medical Research Council was used to measure maximal isometric muscle strength. There is dearth of articles dealing with the reliability of this method. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the test retest reliability of Motricity Index strength assessments for paretic lower limb in 20 chronic stroke patients with one week interval. In a cross sectional study, intrarater reliability of lower extremity Motricity Index strength assessments with one week interval were measured. The SPSS 18 was used for analysis of data. Two-way random-consistency model of ICC was used for assessment of test-retest reliability. The ICC values showed high reliability of strength measurement of Motricity Index (ICC=0.93). The Motricity Index can be a reliable instrument for measuring the strength of involved lower extremity when assessment is done by one rater following chronic stroke.