Reliability of squat movement competency screen in individuals with a previous knee injury

Context: Movement screens are a common method of assessing movement efficiency either against a specific criterion of segments/joint(s) motion (segmental method), or a summary label of general quality of the whole movement (overall method). While not as commonly utilized within clinical practice as the segmental method, the overall method is less time consuming to perform and more reliable. Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of the "overall" method approach during a squat in individuals with a previous knee joint injury. Design: Cross-sectional, clinical measurement. Participants: Two-dimensional video recordings of five squat trials were recorded for 16 participants with a history of a major knee joint injury(s) and were visually rated by three novice and three expert raters. Main Outcome Measures: Weighted quadratic Kappa was used to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the squat movement competency screen. Results: Good inter-rater reliability for the expert and novice groups was observed. Intra-rater reliability was very good between analysis sessions for one expert rater. Conclusions: The overall method is a reliable method that enables allied health professionals of different levels of clinical experience to utilize a framework to assess movement quality during a squat in patients with a previous knee joint injury.