Affiliations: [a] Research Department, Swiss Children’s Rehab, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland | [b] Children’s Research Center CRC, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland | [c] Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland | [d] Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Petra Marsico, Paediatric Rehab Research Group, Rehabilitation Centre for Children and Adolescents, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Mühlebergstrasse 104, CH-8910 Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to create a clear, standardized test description to rate spasticity severity into four categories according to the definition given by Lance [1], referred to as the Velocity Dependent Measure of Spasticity (VDMS). METHOD: Muscle groups of the upper and lower limbs of children with neuromotor disorders were evaluated on their response to passive movement in a fast-versus slow-velocity test condition. The interrater and test-retest reliability were assessed using Gwet’s alpha one (95%-CI) and the percentage agreement. RESULTS: Two physiotherapists independently assessed 45 children and youths (age 4–19 years). The interrater reliability of the VDMS was substantial to almost perfect (Gwet’s alpha one: 0.66–0.99, n= 45) while the test-retest reliability was almost perfect as well (Gwet’s alpha one: 0.83–1.00, n= 42). CONCLUSION: The VDMS can be recommended as a reliable assessment with a standardized procedure to assess spasticity of the extremities in children with neuromotor disorders.
