Routine clinical motion analysis: comparison of a bespoke real-time protocol to current clinical methods

Abstract

Motion analysis (MA) hardware has recently become more accessible; however, protocols have not developed in conjunction. Routine clinical assessment mostly relies on unreliable observational methods. This study aimed to develop an MA protocol for routine clinical use and compare kinematics and reliability to the gold-standard. Ten participants completed 10 over ground walks with a comprehensive marker set (bespoke and gold-standard). Inter/intra-assessor reliability was also compared. Results demonstrated comparable kinematics. Reliability of the bespoke model was lower than the gold standard but higher than observational methods. The bespoke model can be recommended for routine clinical use to assess patient progress and function.

Keywords:

• Motion analysis
• gait
• kinematics
• real-time
• reliability

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the University of Strathclyde and the Scottish Government Department of Health Rehabilitation Framework. The authors would also like to acknowledge Dr Andrew Murphy for technical contributions during the development of the SCM protocol.

Disclosure statement

There were no conflicts of interest regarding this study.