Reliability of Kinovea® Software and Agreement with a Three-Dimensional Motion System for Gait Analysis in Healthy Subjects

Abstract

Gait analysis is necessary to diagnose movement disorders. In order to reduce the costs of three-dimensional motion capture systems, new low-cost methods of motion analysis have been developed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of Kinovea® and the agreement with a three-dimensional motion system for detecting the joint angles of the hip, knee and ankle during the initial contact phase of walking. Fifty healthy subjects participated in this study. All participants were examined twice with a one-week interval between the two appointments. The motion data were recorded using the VICON Motion System® and digital video cameras. The intra-rater reliability showed a good correlation for the hip, the knee and the ankle joints (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, ICC > 0.85) for both observers. The ICC for the inter-rater reliability was >0.90 for the hip, the knee and the ankle joints. The Bland–Altman plots showed that the magnitude of disagreement was approximately ±5° for intra-rater reliability, ±2.5° for inter-rater reliability and around ±2.5° to ±5° for Kinovea® versus Vicon®. The ICC was good for the hip, knee and ankle angles registered with Kinovea® during the initial contact of walking for both observers (intra-rater reliability) and higher for the agreement between observers (inter-rater reliability). However, the Bland–Altman plots showed disagreement between observers, measurements and systems (Kinovea® vs. three-dimensional motion system) that should be considered in the interpretation of clinical evaluations.

Validity, reliability and usefulness of smartphone and kinovea motion analysis software for direct measurement of vertical jump height

“…Kinovea is free open-source motion analysis software under GPLv2 license, developed by sport and health professionals, programmers, researchers, and athletes in worldwide nonprofit collaboration. In the field of sports, Kinovea has been used as a position-based instrument for measuring coordinates data and perspective [24], lower limb angle [40][41][42], bar velocity through tracking [43] or drop jump [44]. Similarly, as a time-based instrument, Kinovea has also been used to measure temporal parameters in jump height assessment, such as flight time [45][46][47].…”

Gait Analysis Accuracy Difference with Different Dimensions of Flexible Capacitance Sensors

“…Filmed movies were analyzed in Kinovea, which is widely used in motion tracking research [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. To synchronize both the sensor signal and the movie, the frame rate of the movie was set to 50 FPS.…”

“…It was necessary to match both signals, as this allowed us to accurately determine the starting point of the analysis in Kinovea. Filmed movies were analyzed in Kinovea, which is widely used in motion tracking research [26][27][28][29]. To synchronize both the sensor signal and the movie, the frame rate of the movie was set to 50 FPS.…”

Technological advancements in the analysis of human motion and posture management through digital devices

“…As a matter of fact, the main limitations uncovered by the literature concern the lack of a standard video analysis protocol and the marker placement[ 44 , 45 ]. The study conducted by González et al [ 42 ] evaluated the inter- and intra-rater reliability of Kinovea and the agreement with a three-dimensional motion system (Vicon) to detect the lower limb's joint angles during walking. The results showed significant differences in the hip, knee and ankle angles reporting a ± 5° difference for the hip and ankle angles, ± 2.5° for knee angles.…”