Intrarater reliability of the adductor squeeze test in gaelic games athletes.

CONTEXT: Groin pain is commonly experienced by athletes involved in field-based sports and is particularly prevalent in Gaelic Games athletes. The adductor squeeze test is commonly used in the assessment of groin pain and injuries. To date, no evidence in the literature provides the reliability of the adductor squeeze test using a sphygmomanometer in assessing the adductor muscle integrity of Gaelic Games athletes. Given the high proportion of groin pain encountered in Gaelic Games athletes, establishing the reliability of the adductor squeeze test will allow clinicians to monitor injury responses and to assess return-to-play criteria.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intrarater reliability of a commercially available sphygmomanometer for measuring adductor squeeze values in Gaelic Games athletes and to determine if different squeeze values are associated with the 3 commonly used test positions.

DESIGN: Descriptive laboratory study.

SETTING: University clinical skills laboratory.

PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen male Gaelic Games athletes without any previous or current history of groin or pelvic pain.

INTERVENTION(S): Each participant performed the adductor squeeze test in 3 positions of hip joint flexion (0°, 45°, and 90°) on 2 test days separated by at least 1 week.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Adductor squeeze test values (mm Hg) quantified by a commercially available sphygmomanometer.

RESULTS: Intrarater reliability intraclass correlation values ranged from 0.89 to 0.92 (intraclass correlation coefficients were 0°, 0.89; 45°, 0.92; and 90°, 0.90). The highest squeeze values were recorded in the 45° of hip flexion test position, and these values differed from those demonstrated in the 0° and 90° hip flexion test positions (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS: A commercially available sphygmomanometer is a reliable device for measuring adductor squeeze test values.