Inter-rater reliability of the modified Tardieu scale for the assessment of knee extensor spasticity in patient with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Introduction: Spasticity is a common motor disorder in multiple sclerosis (MS). The modified Tardieu scale (MTS) is one of the most widely used test for assessing muscle spasticity. The aim of this study was to investigate the inter rater reliability of MTS in measuring of Knee Extensor muscle spasticity in MS patients. Materials and Methods: Knee extensors of 20 MS patients with mean age of 41.50(SD =11.95) were assessed by two inexperienced physiotherapists. The order of assessments by the two raters was randomized. The inter rater reliability of MTS was determined by ICC two-way random effects model. Results: Inter-rater reliability for quality of muscle reaction and R2-R1 as dynamic component of spasticity in knee extensors muscle was high and moderately high respectively (ICC= 0.89, 0.77). Conclusion: The results indicated MTS can be used as a reliable measurement for assessing knee extensors spasticity.

Keywords

• Spasticity
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Modified Tardieu Scale
• Interrater Reliability