title: Ambulatory assessment of shoulder abduction strength curve using a single wearable inertial sensor.
abstract: The aim of the present article was to assess the reliability of strength curves as determined from tridimensional linear accelerations and angular velocities measured by a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) fixed on the upper arm during a shoulder abduction movement performed holding a 1 kg dumbbell in the hand. Within-subject repeatability of the task was assessed on 45 subjects performing four trials consisting of one maximal shoulder abduction-adduction movement. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was computed on the average movement angular velocity (VEL) and range of movement (ROM) across the four trials. Within-subject repeatability of torque curves was assessed in terms of waveform similarities by computing the coefficient of multiple determination (CMD). Accuracy of the estimated ROM was assessed using an isokinetic dynamometer. High ICC values of ROM (0.955) and VEL (0.970) indicated a high within-subject repeatability of the task. A high waveform similarity of torque curves was also found between trials (CMD = 0.867). Accuracy with respect to isokinetic dynamometer in estimating ROM was always <1 degree (p = 0.37). This study showed the effectiveness of using a single wearable IMU for the assessment of strength curve during isoinertial movements in a way that complies with the needs of clinicians in an ambulatory setting.
authors.affiliation: eCampus University, Faculty of Psychology, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Novedrate, Italy; University of Rome Tor Vergata, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Rome, Italy;
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Picerno
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Viero
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Donati
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Triossi
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tancredi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melchiorri
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D053581:Muscle Strength Dynamometer; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012782:Shoulder / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014891:Weight Lifting
keywords: accelerometers; biomechanics; gyroscopes; inertial sensors; injury recovery; isoinertial; joints; rehabilitation; shoulder abduction; strength curves