title: Inertial sensors as measurement tools of elbow range of motion in gerontology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Musculoskeletal system deterioration among the aging is a major reason for loss of autonomy and directly affects the quality of life of the elderly. Articular evaluation is part of physiotherapeutic assessment and helps in establishing a precise diagnosis and deciding appropriate therapy. Reference instruments are valid but not easy to use for some joints. The main goal of our study was to determine reliability and intertester reproducibility of the MP-BV, an inertial sensor (the MotionPod(®) [MP]) combined with specific software (BioVal [BV]), for elbow passive range-of-motion measurements in geriatrics.
  
  
  METHODS
  This open, monocentric, randomized study compared inertial sensor to inclinometer in patients hospitalized in an acute, post-acute, and long-term-care gerontology unit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-seven patients (mean age 83.5±6.4 years, sex ratio 1.08 [male/female]) were analyzed. The MP-BV was reliable for each of the three measurements (flexion, pronation, and supination) for 24.3% (CI 95% 13.9-32.8) of the patients. Separately, the percentages of reliable measures were 59.7% (49.2-70.5) for flexion, 68.8% (58.4-79.5) for pronation, and 62.3% (51.2-73.1) for supination. The intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.15 (0.07-0.73), 0.46 (0.27-0.98), and 0.50 (0.31-40 0.98) for flexion, pronation, and supination, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows the convenience of the MP-BV in terms of ease of use and of export of measured data. However, this instrument seems less reliable and valuable compared to the reference instruments used to measure elbow range of motion in gerontology.
authors.affiliation: Memory Center, Claude Pompidou Institut, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France ; Centre d'Innovation et d'Usages en Santé (CIU-S), University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France ; CoBTeK Cognition Behaviour Technology EA 7276, Research Center Edmond and Lily Safra, Nice Sophia-Antipolis University, Nice, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.affiliation: CoBTeK Cognition Behaviour Technology EA 7276, Research Center Edmond and Lily Safra, Nice Sophia-Antipolis University, Nice, France ; Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Turpin
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Neurosciences, University Hospital of Nice, L'Archet Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marteu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research and Innovation, University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sakarovitch
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Innovation et d'Usages en Santé (CIU-S), University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Teboul
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France ; Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Neurosciences, University Hospital of Nice, L'Archet Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boscher
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Unit, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brocker
authors.affiliation: Memory Center, Claude Pompidou Institut, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France ; Centre d'Innovation et d'Usages en Santé (CIU-S), University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France ; CoBTeK Cognition Behaviour Technology EA 7276, Research Center Edmond and Lily Safra, Nice Sophia-Antipolis University, Nice, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Innovation et d'Usages en Santé (CIU-S), University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France ; CoBTeK Cognition Behaviour Technology EA 7276, Research Center Edmond and Lily Safra, Nice Sophia-Antipolis University, Nice, France ; Acute Geriatrics Unit, Department of Geriatrics, University Hospital of Nice, Cimiez Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Guerin
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004551:Elbow Joint / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: inclinometer; intertester reproducibility; reliability