Test-retest reliability of the standing heel-rise test

Context: The standing heel-rise test has been recommended as a means of assessing calf-muscle performance. To the authors' knowledge, the reliability of the test using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) has not been reported. Objective: To determine the test-retest reliability of the standing heel-rise test. Design: Single-group repeated measures. Participants: Seventeen healthy subjects. Settings and intervention: Each subject was asked to perform as many standing heel raises as possible during 2 testing sessions separated by 7 days. Main Outcome Measures: Reliability data for the standing heel-rise test were studied through a repeated-measures analysis of variance, ICC2,1, and SEMs. Results: The ICC,, and SEM values for the standing heel-rise test were .96 and 2.07 repetitions, respectively. Conclusions: The standing heel-rise test offers clinicians a reliable assessment of calf-muscle performance. Further study is necessary to determine the ability of the standing heel-rise test to detect functional deficiencies in patients recovering from lower leg injury or surgery.