Article

The accuracy and precision of quantifying musculoskeletal kinematics, and
particularly determining the centre of rotation (CoR) at the hip joint, using
skin marker based motion analysis is limited by soft tissue artefact (STA). We
posed the question of whether the contribution of individual markers towards
improving the precision of the functional joint centre using marker based methods
could be assessed, and then utilised to allow effective marker placement for
determination of the CoR at the hip. Sixty-three retro-reflective skin markers
were placed to encompass the thighs of seven healthy subjects, together with a
set of sixteen markers on the pelvis. The weighted optimal common shape technique
(wOCST) was then applied to determine the weighting, or importance, of each
marker for identifying the centre of rotation at the hip. The markers with the
highest weightings over all subjects and measurements were determined that
identified the HJC with the highest precision. The use of six markers in selected
regions (two anterior, two lateral and two posterior) allowed the HJC to be
determined with a similar precision to the complete set of 63 markers, with the
determined regions predominantly distant from the hip joint, excluding areas
associated with the bellies of large muscles and therefore large motion artefact
from muscle activity. The novel approach presented here allows an understanding
of each marker's contribution towards a precise joint determination, and
therefore enables the targeted placement of markers for reliable assessment of
musculoskeletal kinematics.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS