| The purpose of this study was to develop and to establish reliability and validity of 3 Aquatic Muscle Test (AMT) items: hip abduction, shoulder flexion to 90{dollar}spcirc{dollar}, and trunk rotation. Participants were 14 men and 9 women, aged 24 to 65 years, and diagnosed with neuromuscular disorders. Five experts in the field of aquatic rehabilitation established face validity and supported the need for the AMT with a few suggested modifications. Stability reliability was established by comparing AMT results on two different days. The coefficients indicated high stability reliability for each of the 3 AMT items. Concurrent validity was established by comparing the AMT results to a standardized land manual muscle test. The correlation indicated high validity for the AMT shoulder flexion test item, good validity for the AMT hip abduction test item, and low validity for the AMT trunk rotation test item. It was concluded that AMT hip abduction and shoulder flexion to 90{dollar}spcirc{dollar} are reliable and valid measures of muscle strength within range of motion and can be used with persons with neuromuscular disorders in aquatic environments. Further development of AMT items and other aquatic assessment tests are recommended. |
