Concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of the polhemus liberty for the measurement of spinal range of motion

Konstantinos T. Kaliarntas, U. Chris Ugbolue, Philip E. Riches, Philip J. Rowe

Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

Abstract

The assessment of the spinal movements and curvature is of
importance in both clinical practice and research. Clinical
assessment of the spinal range of motion (ROM) is
commonly limited to one or two dimensions and usually
defines the trunk as a single segment. The Vicon motion
analysis system, which is often characterised as ‘gold
standard’, cannot be easily used in the clinical setting since
it is not portable and requires post processing expertise.
Conversely, the Polhemus Liberty is a three-dimensional
(3D) electromagnetic motion capture device which is
cheaper, more portable and simpler to use. Earlier versions
of this device (Fastrak, Isotrak) have been used for
measurement of lumbar ROM [1,2], however, only one
sensor was used and the data were not compared against a
criterion measure such as Vicon.

The aim of this study is twofold: i) to examine the
concurrent validity of Polhemus Liberty with the Vicon for
the measurement of spinal ROM and ii) to investigate the
test-retest reliability of the Polhemus measures.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 5 Jul 2009
Externally publishedYes
EventInternational Society of Biomechanics XXIIth Congress - Cape Town, South Africa
Duration: 5 Jul 20099 Jul 2009

Conference

ConferenceInternational Society of Biomechanics XXIIth Congress
Country/TerritorySouth Africa
CityCape Town
Period5/07/099/07/09

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