Abstract

Objective: To validate the use of a 2-dimensional video based system (Hu-m-an digitizing

software, HMA Technology Inc. Ontario, Canada), for measuring sagital plane knee and ankle

angles during gait analysis.

Design: Criterion-based, concurrent validation.

Participants: 18 persons without any gait disorders.

Method: The participants were subjected to simultaneous capture of their motion data with a digital

video camera filming in the sagital plane only, and a 3-dimensional optoelectronic motion capture

system (Qualisys Medical AB, Gothenburg, Sweden). The data was analyzed both using Hu-m-an

digitizing software (HMA Technology Inc. Ontario, Canada) and Visual 3D (C-motion Inc.,

Kingston, Canada) respectively.

Outcome: Relative angles for the knee and ankle.

Results: Significant difference was found between the systems for measuring ankle angles

(p<0,05). No significant difference was found for measuring knee angles at stance, but significant

differences was present during swing and at IC (p<0,05).

Even though significant differences were found, the correlation, between the two systems, was high

for the knee, and moderate to high for the ankle.

Conclusion: Hu-m-an digitizing software (HMA Technology Inc. Ontario, Canada) has been

demonstrated to be a promising tool for measuring 2-dimensional sagital plane knee and ankle

angles, but cannot be validated from this study alone.

Keywords: Gait measurement, validation, 2-dimensional analysis, 3-dimensional analysis,

digitizing, kinematics, joint angles.