An approach for hip joint center calculation for use in seated postures

In seated postures, such as those in office or automotive seats, locating the hip joint center (HJC) using three markers on the pelvis has been difficult if not impossible. A two-target approach by Bell et al. (J. Biomech. 23 (1990) 617) has been used, however, this method was shown to have inaccuracies when compared to the three-target method developed by Seidel et al. (J. Biomech. 28 (1995) 995). A new two-target method that is specific to the seated environment, has better accuracy than the Bell et al. approach, and is based on the Seidel et al. approach was developed and tested on 13 seated subjects. This new method used three targets and an initial reference file to estimate the HJC location. Once the HJC was located, assumptions were made that the magnitudes between the HJC and the respective anterior superior iliac spine, and the HJC and the respective lateral epicondyle remained constant. The primary concern when evaluating this new method was the affect of seated posture movement, in particular leg splay and spinal flexion on the assumptions. The results obtained with the new approach were compared to Seidel et al. and provided HJC locations with average differences of 3.8, 1.2 and 2.8mm for spinal flexion in the anterior/posterior, medial/lateral and superior/inferior directions, respectively, and 2.3, 1.0 and 1.4mm for knee splay. The proposed method provided better HJC estimation than the Bell et al. approach particularly in the superior/inferior dimensions.