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Functional calibration does not improve the concurrent validity of magneto-inertial wearable sensor-based thorax and lumbar angle measurements when compared with retro-reflective motion capture

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Abstract

 Magneto-inertial measurement unit (MIMU) systems allow calculation of simple sensor-to-sensor Euler angles, though this process does not address sensor-to-segment alignment, which is important for deriving meaningful MIMU-based kinematics. Functional sensor-to-segment calibrations have improved concurrent validity for elbow and knee angle measurements but have not yet been comprehensively investigated for trunk or sport-specific movements. This study aimed to determine the influence of MIMU functional calibration on thorax and lumbar joint angles during uni-planar and multi-planar, sport-specific tasks. It was hypothesised that functionally calibrating segment axes prior to angle decomposition would produce smaller differences than a non-functional method when both approaches were compared with concurrently collected 3D retro-reflective derived angles. Movements of 10 fast-medium cricket bowlers were simultaneously recorded by MIMUs and retro-reflective motion capture. Joint angles derived from four different segment definitions were compared, with three incorporating functionally defined axes. Statistical parametric mapping and root mean squared differences (RMSD) quantified measurement differences one-dimensionally and zero-dimensionally, respectively. Statistical parametric mapping found no significant differences between MIMU and retro-reflective data for any method across bowling and uni-planar trunk movements. The RMSDs for the functionally calibrated methods and non-functional method were not significantly different. Functional segment calibration may be unnecessary for MIMU-based measurement of thorax and lumbar joint angles.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge Steven Kosovich and Jay-Shian Tan for their assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Institute of Sport, Leverrier St, Bruce, 2602, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

    Daniel S. Cottam

  2. School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Kent St, Bentley, Western Australia, 6102, Australia

    Amity C. Campbell, Paul C. Davey & Peter Kent

  3. Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Peter Kent

  4. School of Human Sciences (Exercise and Sport Science), University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, Western Australia, 6009, Australia

    Bruce C. Elliott & Jacqueline A. Alderson

  5. Minderoo Tech & Policy Lab (UWA Law School), University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Jacqueline A. Alderson

  6. Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand (SPRINZ), Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand

    Jacqueline A. Alderson

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  1. Daniel S. Cottam
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Correspondence to Daniel S. Cottam.

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Cottam, D.S., Campbell, A.C., Davey, P.C. et al. Functional calibration does not improve the concurrent validity of magneto-inertial wearable sensor-based thorax and lumbar angle measurements when compared with retro-reflective motion capture. Med Biol Eng Comput 59, 2253–2262 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-021-02440-9

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