Table 1.
Comparison of Methods Used in Previous Studies
| Study | Sample Size | Reach Foot Touch Down | Stance Foot Alignment | Stance Foot Movement Allowed | Average or Greatest reach | Testing Directions* | Limb Length Measured | Attempts allowed / trials | Shoes on /off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray9 | NA† | No, with-in 3 inch of test vector | Varied to direction of reach | No | Greatest (unit of measure unspecified) | AL A AM M PM P PL L |
No | Not specified | Pictured with shoes on |
| Kinzey and Armstrong24 | 20 | No | Center box | No | Average of 3 greatest (cm) | AM, PM | No | 5 | Not controlled |
| Hertel et al17 | 16 | Yes | Center of grid | No | Avg of 1-3;4-6;7-9;10-12 trial (cm) | AL A AM M PM P PL L |
No | 1 practice followed by 3 trials | Pictured with shoes on |
| Earl and Hertel35 | 10 | Yes | Varied to direction of reach | Not specified | With-in 1 mm of precision | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
No | 6 practice / 5 trials/ last 3 marked | Pictured with shoes on |
| Olmsted et al25 | 40 | Yes | Center of grid | No | Avg of 3 greatest (cm) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
No | 6 practices /then till 3 good reaches met | Pictured with shoes off |
| Gribble and Hertel26 | 30 | Yes | Center of grid | No | Mean of 3 trials (cm) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
Yes/ASIS to mid ipsilateral medial malleolus | 6 practice / 3 trials | Pictured with shoes off |
| Gribble et al30 | 30 | Yes | Center of grid | No | Mean of 3 trials (cm) | A, M, P | Yes/ASIS to mid medial malleolus bilateral | 6 practice / 3 trials | Pictured with shoes off |
| Cote et al31 | 48 | Yes | Center of grid | No | Mean of 3 trials (cm) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
No/ normalized to height | 1 practice/3 trials | Not specified |
| Lanning et al11 | 105 | No | Center of Box | No | Greatest (cm) | AM, PM | Yes / ASIS to mid medial malleolus bilateral | 6 practice / 3 trials | With the shoes on |
| Plisky et al22 | 235 | No | Center of grid withmost distal aspect of great toe at start line | No | Greatest of 3 trials (cm), & sum of each direction greatest (composite) | A, PM, PL | Inferior aspect of ASIS to distal lateral malleolus, after clearing of the hips | 6 practice / 3 trials | Great toe at line, pictured with shoes off |
| Hertel et al20 | 87 | Yes | Geometric center of the foot on cross-hairs in center of grid | No | Mean of 3 trials (cm) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
Yes/ ASIS to distal tip medial malleolus | 6 practice / 3 trials | Geometric center of foot/ pictured with shoes off |
| Gribble et al18 | 30 | Yes | Foot bisected equally in all planes | No; Hands on iliac crests | Avg of 3 reaches (unit not specified) | A | Yes/ ASIS to distal medial malleolus | 6 practice / 3 trials | Pictured shoes off |
| Sawkins et al33 | 30 | Yes | Varied to direction of reach | No | Greatest | A, P, PM | Not specified | 6 practice (prior to taping)/ 3 trials | Shoes off |
| Bressel et al21 | 34 | Yes | Middle of grid with center of foot on small dot | Cited “as Gribble” 26 | Avg of 3 trials(cm & mm used) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
Yes/ ASIS to medial malleolus (nearest mm) Both lower extremities | 180seconds of practice prior to testing, 3 trials | Not specified |
| Hubbard et al12 | 60 | Yes | Not specified | Not specified | Avg of 3 (cm) | A, PM, PL | Yes/ “Gribble”26 | 6 practice / 3 trials | Not specified |
| Hubbard et al16 | 30 | Yes | Not specified | Not specified | Avg of 3 (cm) | A, PM, PL | Yes/ “Gribble” 26 | 6 practice / 3 trials | Not specified |
| Gribble et al18 | 30 | Yes | Middle of grid | No; Hands on hips | Mean of 3 trials (unit not specified) | A, M, P | Yes/ ASIS to distal med malleolus | 6 practice / 3 trials | Not specified (kinematic markers placed) |
| English and Howe32 | 3 | Methods cited as Kinzey et al24, with touchdown | Center of box | Not specified | Mean of 3 trials (cm) | Reported as: Right anterior and posterior; Left anterior and posterior; (AM, PM) | Not specified | 6 practice / 3 trials | Pictured with shoes on |
| Hale et al10 | 67 | Yes | Not specified | Not specified; hands on hips | Mean of 3 trials (unit not specified) | A AM M Pm P PL L AL |
Not specified | 6 practice / 3 trials | Not specified |
*
A= Anterior, AM= Anterior Medial, M= Medial, PM= Posterior Medial, P= Posterior, PL= Posterior Lateral, L= Lateral, AL= Anterior Lateral, ASIS= Anterior Superior Iliac Spine,
†
NA = Not Applicable