Inter- and Intra-rater Reliability of Postural Assessment for Scoliosis
Chompunoot Suwanasri MSc*, Wimonrat Sakullertphasuk MSc*, Meena Tosiriphattana BSc*, Thachakorn Sa-ngounsak BSc*, Worawan Ekabutr BSc*
Affiliation : * Faculty of Physical Therapy, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand
Objective : The purpose of the present study is to assess the inter- and intra-rater reliability of a postural assessment for
detecting scoliosis between 4th year physical therapy (PT) students and PT specialists by using 30 postural indices.
Material and Method: Six examiners, three 4th year PT students and 3 certified PT specialists, performed the postural indices
on 10 asymptomatic subjects.
Results : Inter-rater reliability between 4th year students and PT specialists and intra-rater reliability ranged from poor to
almost perfect. Two items that needed rectification were PSIS level and iliac crest.
Conclusion : There was a variable range of values in agreement either within or between examiners for the assessment of
scoliosis screening. This shows that the assessment in scoliosis screening should be used with caution by 4th year students.
Keywords : Scoliosis, posture assessment, postural index
