Physiotherapy Department, Technological Educational Institute of Patras at Aigio, Patra 25100, Greece.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2012 Mar;112(3):1167-75. doi: 10.1007/s00421-011-2074-1. Epub 2011 Jul 17.
The aim of the study was to examine the reliability and validity of the numerical rating scale (0-10 NRS) for rating perception of effort during isometric elbow flexion in healthy people. 33 individuals (32 ± 8 years) participated in the study. Three re-test measurements within one session and three weekly sessions were undertaken to determine the reliability of the scale. The sensitivity of the scale following 10 min isometric fatiguing exercise of the elbow flexors as well as the correlation of the effort with the electromyographic (EMG) activity of the flexor muscles were tested. Perception of effort was tested during isometric elbow flexion at 10, 30, 50, 70, 90, and 100% MVC. The 0-10 NRS demonstrated an excellent test-retest reliability [intra class correlation (ICC) = 0.99 between measurements taken within a session and 0.96 between 3 consecutive weekly sessions]. Exploratory curve fitting for the relationship between effort ratings and voluntary force, and underlying EMG showed that both are best described by power functions (y = ax ( b )). There were also strong correlations (range 0.89-0.95) between effort ratings and EMG recordings of all flexor muscles supporting the concurrent criterion validity of the measure. The 0-10 NRS was sensitive enough to detect changes in the perceived effort following fatigue and significantly increased at the level of voluntary contraction used in its assessment (p < 0.001). These findings suggest the 0-10 NRS is a valid and reliable scale for rating perception of effort in healthy individuals. Future research should seek to establish the validity of the 0-10 NRS in clinical settings.
本研究旨在检验数字评定量表（0-10NRS）在评定健康人群等长肘屈伸时用力感知的可靠性和有效性。33 名个体（32±8 岁）参与了本研究。在一个测试日内进行了三次重测测量，在三个每周测试日内进行了三次测试，以确定量表的可靠性。测试了 10 分钟等长肘屈肌疲劳运动后量表的敏感性，以及用力与屈肌肌电图（EMG）活动的相关性。在等长肘屈伸 10%、30%、50%、70%、90%和 100%最大自主收缩（MVC）时测试用力感知。0-10NRS 显示出极好的测试-重测可靠性[在一个测试日内进行的测量之间的组内相关系数（ICC）=0.99，连续三个每周测试日内的测量之间的 ICC=0.96]。用力等级与自愿力和潜在肌电图之间的关系的探索性曲线拟合表明，两者均由幂函数（y=ax(b)）最佳描述。用力等级与所有屈肌肌电图记录之间也存在很强的相关性（范围 0.89-0.95），支持该测量的同时效标准效度。0-10NRS 足够敏感，可检测疲劳后感知用力的变化，并且在评估中使用的自愿收缩水平显著增加（p<0.001）。这些发现表明，0-10NRS 是一种用于评定健康个体用力感知的有效且可靠的量表。未来的研究应寻求确定 0-10NRS 在临床环境中的有效性。
