Assessment of range and quality of neck movement using a smartphone-based application

This study had the objective of measuring the validity of using a smartphone-based application to measure range of motion (ROM) and quality of movement (QOM) of neck motion by comparing it with 3D-motion capture analysis.

METHODS: Thirty healthy volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. A helmet fitted with markers for motion capture analysis and a smartphone were fastened to the head of the participants. The smartphone recorded data using a beta version of Balancy (MEDEI, Denmark). Assessments of full active movement in transverse and sagittal planes were performed. Recordings were made simultaneously with the camera system and the smartphone. ROM and jerkiness were compared with a repeated measures ANOVA and a Pearson product moment was calculated to compare the outcomes from the different applications. Bland-Altman plots were generated to determine the levels of agreement.

RESULTS: No difference was found between modalities when comparing measurements of jerkiness or ROM. An excellent Pearson product moment was found for the outcomes of the two modalities for ROM (Pearson's r: 0.83 - 0.96) and jerkiness (Pearson's r: 0.86 - 0.95). The Bland-Altman plot revealed a systemic offset where the phone consistently measured higher values for ROM and lower values for jerkiness.

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a smartphone-based application can be used to accurately measure ROM and jerkiness during neck movements. These results indicate the utility of using a smartphone-based application to assess neck movement in humans. The findings have implications for assessment of neck movement in research and clinical practice.