Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and clinimetric evaluation of the lower extremity Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA-LE) in Persian speaking stroke patients.

Background: The Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity (FMA-LE) is a widely recognized and recommended tool for evaluating motor impairments post-stroke; however, an official Persian version is currently unavailable.

Objective: This study translated, culturally adapted the lower extremity FMA (FMA-LE) method into Persian and evaluated its clinimetric properties in Persian post-stroke patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, Persian speaking post stroke patients (n = 80, age 66.66 ± 11.70 years, male = 60%) were enrolled. Translation and cultural adaptations were performed according to the standard guidelines and published papers. Clinimetric properties evaluation included face validity, content validity, and construct validity through correlation with motor subscale of Functional independence measurement (FIM) method; additionally, inter-rater and test-retest reliability were conducted.

Results: A Persian FAM-LE version was developed through consensus agreement on the challenging items with minor modifications. The Content Validity Index values for motor function score (0.91) and its total score (0.94) were acceptable. The intra-rater and inter-rater reliability were ICC = 0.94 (95% CI: 0.90-0.96) and ICC = 0.98 (95% CI: 0.80-0.99), respectively. Concurrent validity showed a moderate correlation between the FMA-LE total score, FMA-LE motor function section, and FIM motor subscale score (r = 0.55 and 0.49). No floor/ceiling effects were found.

Conclusions: The Persian FMA-LE method demonstrated excellent reliability and moderated validity, rendering it suitable for measuring motor function and related disability levels in Iranian post-stroke patients.