A comparison of two techniques for ankle Jerk assessment in elderly subjects

S. T. O'Keeffe; T. Smith; R. Valacio; C. I.A. Jack; J. R. Playfer; M. Lye

doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(94)90411-1

A comparison of two techniques for ankle Jerk assessment in elderly subjects

S. T. O'Keeffe, T. Smith, R. Valacio, C. I.A. Jack, J. R. Playfer, M. Lye

Royal Liverpool Hospital

Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review

35 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The reported prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people varies greatly. This variation may be due to differences in the method of testing. Eight physicians examined 12 patients for the presence of ankle jerks using two techniques: plantar strike and tendon strike. Both intra-observer agreement (kappa 0·47 vs 0 20; p=0·01) and inter-observer agreement (0 57 vs 0 21;p<0·001) were greater with plantar strike. Reliability of ankle jerk assessment was greater for more experienced examiners. Differences in technique may explain some of the discrepancy between studies examining the prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1619-1620
Number of pages	2
Journal	The Lancet
Volume	344
Issue number	8937
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(94)90411-1
Publication status	Published - 10 Dec 1994
Externally published	Yes

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title = "A comparison of two techniques for ankle Jerk assessment in elderly subjects",

abstract = "The reported prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people varies greatly. This variation may be due to differences in the method of testing. Eight physicians examined 12 patients for the presence of ankle jerks using two techniques: plantar strike and tendon strike. Both intra-observer agreement (kappa 0·47 vs 0 20; p=0·01) and inter-observer agreement (0 57 vs 0 21;p<0·001) were greater with plantar strike. Reliability of ankle jerk assessment was greater for more experienced examiners. Differences in technique may explain some of the discrepancy between studies examining the prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people.",

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AU - Valacio, R.

AU - Jack, C. I.A.

AU - Playfer, J. R.

AU - Lye, M.

PY - 1994/12/10

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N2 - The reported prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people varies greatly. This variation may be due to differences in the method of testing. Eight physicians examined 12 patients for the presence of ankle jerks using two techniques: plantar strike and tendon strike. Both intra-observer agreement (kappa 0·47 vs 0 20; p=0·01) and inter-observer agreement (0 57 vs 0 21;p<0·001) were greater with plantar strike. Reliability of ankle jerk assessment was greater for more experienced examiners. Differences in technique may explain some of the discrepancy between studies examining the prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people.

AB - The reported prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people varies greatly. This variation may be due to differences in the method of testing. Eight physicians examined 12 patients for the presence of ankle jerks using two techniques: plantar strike and tendon strike. Both intra-observer agreement (kappa 0·47 vs 0 20; p=0·01) and inter-observer agreement (0 57 vs 0 21;p<0·001) were greater with plantar strike. Reliability of ankle jerk assessment was greater for more experienced examiners. Differences in technique may explain some of the discrepancy between studies examining the prevalence of absent ankle jerks in elderly people.

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EP - 1620

JO - The Lancet

JF - The Lancet

IS - 8937

ER -

A comparison of two techniques for ankle Jerk assessment in elderly subjects

Abstract

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