Test-retest reliability of forward, medial and rotational single-leg hop tests

Abstract

Introduction Hop tests are mostly performed in the sagittal plane to evaluate functional performance during the return to sport decision-making process. However, athletes participating in pivoting sports have to move in multiple directions. The aim of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of single-leg hop tests in the sagittal, frontal and transversal plane of motion. Materials and Methods Sixteen recreational athletes (8 females, 8 males; 22.4±1.9 years) participated in the study. All athletes were tested twice (one-week interval) and performed the single-leg hop for distance (SH), triple leg hop for distance (TH), medial side triple hop for distance (MSTH) and 90° medial rotation hop for distance (MRH). The absolute hop distances for both legs were measured (cm). The maximum distance of 3 repetitions was the outcome measure. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC’s), standard errors of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable differences (SDD) were calculated. Results The ICC’s ranged between 0.93-0.98. The SEM for SH, TH, MSTH and MRH were respectively 5.7-7.1 cm, 14.1-16.3 cm, 12.0-15.4 cm and 5.9-7.0 cm (3-4% of the mean of the group). The SDD for SH, TH, MSTH and MRH were respectively 15.7-19.6 cm, 39.1-45.1 cm, 33.3-42.7 cm and 16.4-19.5 cm (7-11% of the mean of the group). Conclusion The results of the current study showed excellent test-retest reliability of forward, medial and rotational hop tests. This allows clinicians to make informed interpretations of changes in hop test distances when retesting individual athletes across the return to sport process.