Reliability of two new single leg hamstring bridge tests and comparison to isokinetic strength tests

BACKGROUND: Test selection during the return to sport evaluation is an important aspect of ensuring athletes are safe to return to competition. OBJECTIVE: To assess the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of two new single leg hamstring bridge tests (SLHBT) and the relationships between these new tests and isokinetic strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings. METHODS: Thirty healthy college students completed the study. Two testing sessions were held three to seven days apart. Session one, participants performed two SLHBT as well as concentric isokinetic strength tests for the hamstring and quadriceps at 60, 180 and 300 degrees/sec. The participants performed only the two SLHBT during the second session. The first SLHBT, participants performed as many repetitions as possible of the SLHBT in 30-sec, while the second test measured how quickly the participants could perform five repetitions. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC2,1) were used to assess test-retest reliability while ICC(3,1) were used to test inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: The test-retest reliability for the SLHBTs was moderate to good, with ICC(2,1) ranging from 0.68 to 0.75, while the inter-rater reliability were excellent with ICC(3,1) all above 0.98. There were significant correlations between the SLHBT and the isokinetic tests, but all correlations were low to moderate. CONCLUSION: This study found good to excellent reliability with the new SLHBT and poor to moderate correlations were noted Therefore, SLHBT may not be an alternative to test hamstring test during the RTS evaluation due to the multiple compensatory strategies athletes may have.