Abstract
BackgroundSmartphone applications offer an accessible and practical option to measure neck range of motion (ROM) and are becoming more commonly used in clinical practice. We assessed the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of smartphone applications (apps) to measure neck ROM in people with and without neck pain.MethodsA comprehensive electronic search strategy of the main electronic databases was conducted from inception until June 2021. The identified studies investigated apps which measured neck ROM, and evaluated their validity, reliability, or responsiveness, in adult participants with neck pain or asymptomatic individuals. Two independent reviewers determined eligibility and risk of bias following COSMIN guidelines. The quality of evidence was assessed according to the GRADE approach.ResultsEleven studies, with a total of 376 participants were included. Three types of apps were identified: clinometer apps, compass apps, and other apps of ‘adequate’ to ‘doubtful’ risk of bias. A meta-analysis revealed ‘good’ to ‘excellent’ intra-rater and inter-rater reliability across the three types of apps. The overall validity was rated from ‘moderate’ to ‘very high’ across all apps. The level of evidence was rated as ‘low’ to ‘very low’.ConclusionSmartphone applications showed sufficient intra-rater reliability, inter-rater reliability, and validity to measure neck ROM in people with and without neck pain. However, the quality of evidence and the confidence in the findings are low. High-quality research with large sample sizes is needed to further provide evidence to support the measurement properties of smartphone applications for the assessment of neck ROM. Study registrationFollowing indications of Prisma-P guidelines, this protocol was registered in PROSPERO on 1/05/2021 with the number CRD42021239501.
Highlights
Smartphone applications offer an accessible and practical option to measure neck range of motion (ROM) and are becoming more commonly used in clinical practice
The measurement of neck range of motion (ROM) is a common clinical assessment used to evaluate people with neck pain to determine the presence of functional limitations [3]
Eligibility criteria Inclusion criteria Studies included in this systematic review investigated at least one measurement property of a smartphone app to measure neck ROM
Summary
Smartphone applications offer an accessible and practical option to measure neck range of motion (ROM) and are becoming more commonly used in clinical practice. Elgueta‐Cancino et al BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2022) 23:138 cause of years lived with disability [1, 4]; a condition associated with substantial costs [2]. The measurement of neck range of motion (ROM) is a common clinical assessment used to evaluate people with neck pain to determine the presence of functional limitations [3]. This objective measurement can be used to help identify movement impairment and can provide relevant prognostic data [4]. Measures of neck ROM are used in classification systems [3, 6, 7] and may assist in differential diagnosis [8]
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