Abstract
Range of motion (ROM) measurements are essential for the evaluation for and diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (AC). However, taking these measurements using a goniometer is inconvenient and sometimes unreliable. The Kinect (Microsoft, Seattle, WA, USA) is gaining attention as a new motion detecting device that is nonintrusive and easy to implement. This study aimed to apply Kinect to measure shoulder ROM in AC; we evaluated its validity by calculating the agreement of the measurements obtained using Kinect with those obtained using goniometer and assessed its utility for the diagnosis of AC. Both shoulders of 15 healthy volunteers and affected shoulders of 12 patients with AC were included in the study. The passive and active ROM of each were measured with a goniometer for flexion, abduction, and external rotation. Their active shoulder motions for each direction were again captured using Kinect and the ROM values were calculated. The agreement between the two measurements was tested with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Diagnostic performance using the Kinect ROM was evaluated with Cohen’s kappa value. The cutoff values of the limited ROM were determined in the following ways: the same as passive ROM values, reflecting the mean difference, and based on receiver operating characteristic curves. The ICC for flexion/abduction/external rotation between goniometric passive ROM and the Kinect ROM were 0.906/0.942/0.911, while those between active ROMs and the Kinect ROMs were 0.864/0.932/0.925. Cohen’s kappa values were 0.88, 0.88, and 1.0 with the cutoff values in the order above. Measurements of the shoulder ROM using Kinect show excellent agreement with those taken using a goniometer. These results indicate that the Kinect can be used to measure shoulder ROM and to diagnose AC as an alternative to goniometer.
Highlights
Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (AC), known as “frozen shoulder,” is a common shoulder disorder in middle age with an estimated prevalence of 2% in the general population [1]
AC is clinically diagnosed based on history and physical examination, when shoulder range of motion (ROM) is limited in all directions without structural lesion [2, 3]
ROM is usually measured with a goniometer; conventional goniometric measurements can vary among testers [4] and require substantial time and effort in clinics
Summary
Adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder (AC), known as “frozen shoulder,” is a common shoulder disorder in middle age with an estimated prevalence of 2% in the general population [1]. AC is clinically diagnosed based on history and physical examination, when shoulder range of motion (ROM) is limited in all directions without structural lesion [2, 3]. Measurement of the shoulder ROM is important for the diagnosis of AC as well as the follow-up evaluation. ROM is usually measured with a goniometer; conventional goniometric measurements can vary among testers [4] and require substantial time and effort in clinics. The Kinect obtains a depth image by recognizing the pattern of the infrared points emitted by the projector within it. The depth image is processed to provide coordinates of predefined body segments. This new device enables real-time, 3D motion capture in an easy-to-implement and nonintrusive way
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