Bruyneel A-V1
1School of Health Sciences, HES-SO//University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Physiotherapy, Geneva, Switzerland
Background: Assessment of range of motion abilities is essential in clinical practice. The tools most used by physiotherapists are goniometer and bubble inclinometer. With the arrival of smartphone, many applications have emerged in recent years for patient management. Three types of applications are used for angle measurement: goniometer, inclinometer and measure by photography. Before using these smartphone applications in clinical practice, it is necessary for the clinician to know the reliability and validity qualities.
Purpose: This literature review aims to report smartphone applications used for measuring joint angle measurement and their reliability and validity for each body part (trunk, lower limb and upper limb) in healthy subjects.
Methods: Electronic searches were performed on the databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, Pedro and Kinedoc. The research was conducted using keywords « healthy subjects », « phone », « range of motion », validity », « reliability » et « repeatability ». To be included, original studies had to report on reliability and/or validity of a joint angle measurement with phone applications in healthy subjects. A synthesis was carried out and the methodological quality of each study was evaluated by the QAREL checklist.
Results: The literature search produced 563 papers, but only 25 met the inclusion criteria. The included articles featured phone applications for joint measurement: 5 for cervical and lumbar motions, 11 for lower limb and 9 for upper limb. These studies included 788 healthy subjects. The mean QAREL score for all studies was 7.19/12 (min:6/max:9). Twenty-four studies assessed the validity with a good mean result (r=0.83 [min: 0.4; max: 0.99]). The intra-rater reliability analysis showed a good result with an ICC=0.86[min:0.05 - max:0.99], investigated by 22 studies. The inter-rater reliability was assessed by 19 studies with a good mean ICC result (ICC=0.84 [min:0.07 - max:0.99]). The type of applications and the phone system (iPhone vs. Android) do not seem to influence the validity and reliability results.
Conclusion(s): This review highlights the existence of studies on the validity and reliability of smartphone applications to measure joint angle in clinical practice. All joints of the body were evaluated for validity and intra-rater reliability in healthy subjects, except finger mobility. The inter-rater reliability has not been studied for hip and finger angle. The best values were obtained for the wrist, the elbow, the ankle, the knee and the lumbar angles, whatever application was used (goniometric, inclinometric or photographic). Therefore, smartphone applications have good psychometric qualities and can be used to measure joint angles.
Implications: In clinical practice, photographic, goniometric and inclinometric smartphone applications can be used to measure joint angle. However, these applications should be used with caution for cervical and hip rotations, for hallux angle in spontaneous position and on the shoulder.
Keywords: Smartphone, Angle, Review
Funding acknowledgements: This present work was unfunded.
Purpose: This literature review aims to report smartphone applications used for measuring joint angle measurement and their reliability and validity for each body part (trunk, lower limb and upper limb) in healthy subjects.
Methods: Electronic searches were performed on the databases PubMed, ScienceDirect, Pedro and Kinedoc. The research was conducted using keywords « healthy subjects », « phone », « range of motion », validity », « reliability » et « repeatability ». To be included, original studies had to report on reliability and/or validity of a joint angle measurement with phone applications in healthy subjects. A synthesis was carried out and the methodological quality of each study was evaluated by the QAREL checklist.
Results: The literature search produced 563 papers, but only 25 met the inclusion criteria. The included articles featured phone applications for joint measurement: 5 for cervical and lumbar motions, 11 for lower limb and 9 for upper limb. These studies included 788 healthy subjects. The mean QAREL score for all studies was 7.19/12 (min:6/max:9). Twenty-four studies assessed the validity with a good mean result (r=0.83 [min: 0.4; max: 0.99]). The intra-rater reliability analysis showed a good result with an ICC=0.86[min:0.05 - max:0.99], investigated by 22 studies. The inter-rater reliability was assessed by 19 studies with a good mean ICC result (ICC=0.84 [min:0.07 - max:0.99]). The type of applications and the phone system (iPhone vs. Android) do not seem to influence the validity and reliability results.
Conclusion(s): This review highlights the existence of studies on the validity and reliability of smartphone applications to measure joint angle in clinical practice. All joints of the body were evaluated for validity and intra-rater reliability in healthy subjects, except finger mobility. The inter-rater reliability has not been studied for hip and finger angle. The best values were obtained for the wrist, the elbow, the ankle, the knee and the lumbar angles, whatever application was used (goniometric, inclinometric or photographic). Therefore, smartphone applications have good psychometric qualities and can be used to measure joint angles.
Implications: In clinical practice, photographic, goniometric and inclinometric smartphone applications can be used to measure joint angle. However, these applications should be used with caution for cervical and hip rotations, for hallux angle in spontaneous position and on the shoulder.
Keywords: Smartphone, Angle, Review
Funding acknowledgements: This present work was unfunded.
Topic: Outcome measurement; Human movement analysis
Ethics approval required: No
Institution: Not applicable
Ethics committee: Not applicable
Reason not required: It is a literature review
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
