Reliability and validity of measuring shoulder joint flexion using digital and standard goniometric methods

Abstract

Based on the review of the literature and clinical experiences, it can be concluded that the measurement of the amplitude of movement is one of the basic kinesiometric methods used in the assessment of the functional joint mobility. The goal of our research was to examine the reliability and validity of measuring the amplitude of shoulder joint movement with the KEMTAI software system in comparison with the goniometer with arms. The research was conducted on 40 subjects who, in three attempts, measured the extent of flexion movement in the shoulder joint using a goniometer with arms, by three physiotherapists (experienced measurers) and the KEMTAI system, which uses the examiner's mobile phone camera via software. We found that the lowest mean value was obtained during the first session (M1 = 154.68), and the highest during the third (M2 = 156.53). When using the KEMTAI software, the variability of the mean values for the total population examined was significantly higher than when using a goniometer with arms. The results indicate that the KEMTAI software/system is reliable when comparing the average results of the three measurements. Based on the obtained results, we conclude that three human experts showed high reliability in the assessment using a goniometer with arms. Regardless of the established differences between the measurement results obtained using these two methods, we believe that the KEMTAI software/ system is applicable in practical work.

Keywords

• goniometer with arms
• motion tracking software
• kinesiometry
• kemtai method