A Reliability of Active and Passive Knee Joint Position Sense Assessment Using the Luna EMG Rehabilitation Robot

Abstract

Joint position sense (JPS) is the awareness of joint location in space, indicating accuracy and precision of the movement. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to determine the reliability of active and passive JPS assessment regarding the knee joint. This was carried out using the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot. Further analysis assessed whether the examination of only the dominant site is justified and if there are differences between sites. The study comprised 24 healthy male participants aged 24.13 ± 2.82 years, performing sports at a recreational level. Using the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot, JPS tests were performed for the right and left knees during flexion and extension in active and passive mode, in two separate sessions with a 1-week interval. Both knee flexion and extension in active and passive modes demonstrated high reliability (ICC = 0.866–0.982; SEM = 0.63–0.31). The mean JPS angle error did not differ significantly between the right and left lower limbs (p < 0.05); however, no between-limb correlation was noted (r = 0.21–0.34; p > 0.05). The Bland–Altman plots showed that the between-limb bias was minimal, with relatively wide limits of agreement. Therefore, it was concluded that the Luna EMG rehabilitation robot is a reliable tool for active and passive knee JPS assessment. In our study, JPS angle error did not differ significantly between left and right sides; however, the slight asymmetry was observed (visible in broad level of agreement exceeding 5° in Bland–Altman plots), what may suggest that in healthy subjects, e.g., active athletes, proprioception should always be assessed on both sides.