ISB Recommendation Research Articles

ISB recommendation on definitions of joint coordinate systems of various joints for the reporting of human joint motion—Part II: shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand

In this communication, the Standardization and Terminology Committee (STC) of the International Society of Biomechanics proposes a definition of a joint coordinate system (JCS) for the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand. For each joint, a standard for the local axis system in each articulating segment or bone is generated. These axes then standardize the JCS. The STC is publishing these recommendations so as to encourage their use, to stimulate feedback and discussion, and to facilitate further revisions. Adopting these standards will lead to better communication among researchers and clinicians.

ISB recommendations for standardization in the reporting of kinematic data

Since 1990, the Standardization and Terminology Committee of the International Society of Biomechanics has been working towards a recommendation for standardization in the reporting of kinematic data. The paper, which is a result of those efforts (including broad input from members of the Society), is intended as a guide to the presentation of kinematic data in refereed publications and other materials. It is hoped that some uniformity in presentation will make publications easier to read and allow for the more straightforward comparison of data sets from different investigators. It is not intended to restrict individual investigators in the manner in which they collect or process their data. Rather, it could be viewed as a “output filter” applied to a variety of data formats to provide uniformity in the final product. The ISB is cognizant of the various attempts at standardization that are being pursued by other organizations-such as CAMARC in Europe, the Clinical Gait Laboratory Group in the U.S.A., and the efforts of individual professional groups such as the Scoliosis Research Society. Where possible, we have sought unanimity with these groups, but on issues where the members of our society expressed strong opinions, we have-at timesstated a contrary view. One example in point is the use of center of mass-based segmental reference frames. Since such reference frames are needed for conventional dynamic analysis, we make the recommendation that such frames should be routinely used. We anticipate that extension to the present document in the future will include recommendations for joint coordinate systems and the definition of anatomical landmarks for locating other segmental reference frames. The committee recognizes that standardization of the description of movement at individual joints is best left to those who are intimately involved in the study of those joints, and we have therefore appointed subcommittees for various joints to provide recommendations. Groups are currently active for the ankle, hand, shoulder, spine, temporomandibular joints, whole body and wrist; members with interests and explrtise in other joints are being actively sought. The initial recommendations of some of these groups have already been published in the ISB Newsletter, and once these recommendation have been discussed by the membership, a subsequent document on joint coordinate systems will be published. The present recommendations are presented as a framework on which future progress can be based. We are grateful to former members of the Standardization and Terminology Committee (notably Professors John Paul, David Winter, and Don Grieve) and to the many ISB members who have commented on earlier drafts of this recommendation. The present paper owes much to the work of Sommer (1991).