A Standardized Paediatric Sensory Assessment for the Lower Extremity: Preliminary Results of a Reliability Study in Normal School-Aged Children

Abstract

French

The aims of this study were to establish a set of standardized sensory procedures for lower extremity sensory assessment in a paediatric population, to gather preliminary data on normal sensory performance, and to derive preliminary reliability estimates. Three subtests derived from the paediatric upper extremity sensory battery under development by Cooper, Majnemer, Rosenblatt and Birnbaum (1993) were performed bilaterally on 50 healthy, school-aged children: i) pressure sensitivity and ii) directionality, on the plantar surface of the distal phalanx of the hallux, using the Semmes-Weinstein Pressure Aesthesiometer, and iii) proprio-ception at the first metatarsal-phalangeal joint. Neither age nor gender exerted any significant effects on the data, whereas dominance did. Cut-offs were determined separately for the dominant and nondominant halluces. Data analysis revealed good test-retest and inter-rater agreements on all subtests. These sensory subtests show promise as a standardized, reliable and therapeutically useful assessment of lower extremity sensation in children at risk for sensory impairment.

Keywords

Paediatric evaluation Sensitivity research Toes

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