Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42405253›Full record

ArticlePeerJ2026

Intra- and interrater reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale and its association with the Tardieu Scale in children with cerebral palsy.

Daša Mikša Pušnik, Sergej Pirkmajer, Tina Tomc Z Argi

Abstract readEvaluation Study
In one paragraph

Article in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Daša Mikša Pušnik *Community Health Centre Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Sergej Pirkmajer *Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Tina Tomc Z ArgiDepartment of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The Modified Ashworth Scale is a widely used tool for assessing spasticity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra- and interrater reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale and its association with the Tardieu Scale in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 23 children with cerebral palsy were included. The intra- and interrater reliability of the Modified Ashworth Scale was assessed for the elbow, knee, and plantar flexors of the foot. The results of the Tardieu Scale were included to evaluate the association between the two scales. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess reliability, and Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the association between the Modified Ashworth Scale and the Tardieu Scale. All muscles assessed were included in the analysis, regardless of the anatomical classification of physical impairment. Results: Intrarater reliability (ICC) in our sample was excellent for all muscles assessed (ICC = 0.91-0.99). Interrater reliability was generally good, with confidence intervals indicating moderate to good reliability in certain muscle groups (ICC = 0.80-0.89). A moderate positive correlation was observed between the Tardieu Scale and the Modified Ashworth Scale for all muscles assessed. Conclusions: The results demonstrated excellent intrarater and generally good interrater reliability in a heterogeneous primary healthcare sample, with a moderate positive correlation between the scales studied. However, caution is warranted when interpreting findings at the individual level.

Indexed as

Cerebral PalsyMuscle SpasticitySeverity of Illness IndexAdolescentChildCross-Sectional StudiesElbowFemaleFootHumansKneeMaleObserver VariationReproducibility of ResultsStatistics, NonparametricCerebral palsyChildrenModified Ashworth scalePsychometric propertiesSpasticity assessmentTardieu scale

Identifiers

PMID42405253
PMCPMC13332714

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