Reliability and Repeatability of ACL Quick Check(R): A Methodology for on Field Lower Limb Joint Kinematics and Kinetics Assessment in Sport Applications

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) lesion represents one of the most dramatic sport injuries. Even though clinical screenings aiming at identifying subjects at risk of injuries are gaining popularity, the use of sophisticated equipment still represents a barrier towards their widespread use. This study aimed to test both reliability and repeatability of a new methodology to assess lower limb joints kinematics and kinetics directly on field with the aid of video cameras and plantar pressure insoles. Ten athletes and one case study (post ACL surgery) were assessed in a gait laboratory, while performing double leg squats, through the simultaneous acquisition of stereophotogrammetry, force plates, commercial video cameras and plantar pressure insoles. Different sources of errors were investigated and both reliability and repeatability analysis performed. Minimum and maximum RMSE values of 0.74% (right knee joint center trajectory) and 64.51%, respectively (ankle dorsi-plantarflexion moment), were detected. Excellent to good correlation was found for the majority of the measures, even though very poor and inverse between-trials correlation was found on a restricted number of trials especially for the ankle dorsi-plantarflexion moment. These findings could be used in combination with already available screening tools in order to provide more repeatable results.

Automated summary

This study aimed to assess the reliability and repeatability of a new methodology using video cameras and plantar pressure insoles to evaluate lower limb joints kinematics and kinetics directly on field. The findings showed excellent correlation for most measures and suggested that this method can be used in combination with existing screening tools.