The measurement of spasticity
Authors: Johnson, G.R. and Pandyan, A.D.
Pages: 64-78
ISBN: 9780521689786
DOI: 10.1017/CBO9780511544866.004
Abstract:Even today the measurement of spasticity at the level of impairment is probably in its infancy. Due to the lack of treatment or therapy to reduce spasticity, there has been limited development of methods for its measurement. There are four distinct levels of measurement that can be identified hierarchically as follows: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio levels. Following the original research of Tardieu and colleagues in the early 1950s, a new scale for classifying spasticity based was developed. This scale has since been translated to English and undergone substantial modifications. The Tardieu method of assessment provides a composite measure of spasticity. The quality of the muscle reaction is a categorical level of measurement and therefore can primarily used for classification purposes only. There are two elements to be considered when exploring the reliability of the Tardieu scale.
Source: Scopus