Introduction: The position of the subject is an important part of goniometry, as it determines the reliability and validity of the procedure. Positions in which one or more of the soft joint structures are under tension will result in a lower measured value. When performing measurements in the side lying position, the subject can move the tested limb unobstructed throughout the available range. Purpose: The aim of the thesis was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the knee joint active range of motion measurement in the horizontal plane, measured with a telescopic goniometer. Methods: The study included 30 subjects (15 women and 15 men), with an average age of 63.4 years. The measurements were taken in two sessions 48 hours apart. Before the measurements, the subject performed five flexion and extension movements in the full available range. In each session, three alternating measurements of the range of motion of extension and flexion were performed on both legs. Results: In the repeatability test, the lowest intraclass correlation coefficient (0.451) was found for knee joint extension measurements in the first session. The highest intraclass correlation coefficient (0.883) was obtained for knee joint flexion measurements in the second session. All flexion measurements had intraclass correlation coefficient values higher than 0.82, indicating good or high repeatability, while the extension measurements had intraclass correlation coefficient values higher than 0.45, indicating low repeatability. Measurements of flexion on side lying position proved to be more repeatable than measurements of extension. When calculating the reliability of extension, the highest intraclass correlation coefficient value (0.182) was calculated from the average of the three measurements. For the flexion reliability measurements, the highest intraclass correlation coefficient (0.834) was also calculated from the average of the three measurements. The mean values of the intraclass correlation coefficient for flexion (0.834) indicate good or high reliability, while the values for extension (0.182) indicate very low reliability. Discussion and conclusion: Knowing the results of the study, the method of measuring knee range of motion in the side lying position is not yet applicable in practice, as it is necessary to introduce some improvements to the measurement procedure itself. However, in this situation, we could suggest a new way of performing the Ely test, where the investigator would stabilize the subject’s thigh.
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