Reproducibility of the posterior talar glide test: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Objective The Posterior Talar Glide Test (PTGT) assesses ankle arthrokinematics and is recommended in the International Ankle Consortium's Rehabilitation-Oriented Assessment guidelines. This systematic review evaluated its intra-rater and inter-rater reproducibility in individuals with and without ankle sprain conditions. Methods Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase up to 11 July 2025. The protocol was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251084281). Studies were eligible if they reported reproducibility metrics of the PTGT, including intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of measurement, or minimal detectable change (MDC). Two independent reviewers screened, extracted, and appraised studies using the QAREL tool. A random-effects meta-analysis pooled intra-rater ICCs, while inter-rater reproducibility was summarized narratively. Certainty of evidence for each reproducibility outcome was assessed using the GRADE framework. Results Six studies were included. Pooled intra-rater reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.93, 95% CI 0.80-0.97; I 2 = 89.2%), with moderate-certainty evidence. Inter-rater reliability ranged from poor to good (ICC 0.46-0.81) across two studies, with low-certainty evidence. Mean MDC values were 4.0° for intra-rater and 4.2° for inter-rater reproducibility, representing the smallest changes exceeding PTGT measurement error. . Conclusions The PTGT demonstrates excellent intra-rater and poor-to-good inter-rater reliability. Further validation is needed to determine whether the PTGT measures posterior talar glide range of motion, detects positional fault, or both.