Pilot Validation Study of Inertial Measurement Units and Markerless Methods for 3D Neck and Trunk Kinematics during a...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Ergonomics
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Surgeons experience high rates of musculoskeletal symptoms (MSS), particularly neck and back pain.
• Preventive strategies, like exoskeletons, require accurate 3D movement analysis.
• Operating room (OR)-compatible motion capture is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and markerless motion capture against an optoelectronic system.
• To assess the accuracy of IMU and markerless methods during simulated surgical tasks.
• To determine the most reliable method for surgical movement analysis.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of IMU and markerless motion capture with a gold standard optoelectronic system.
• Quantitative analysis using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Bland-Altman plots.
• Validation during a simulated surgery task.

Main Results:

• IMU-based analysis demonstrated good-to-excellent agreement (ICC 0.80-0.97) with the gold standard.
• IMU achieved high accuracy with RMSE between 2.3 to 3.9 degrees.
• Markerless motion capture showed lower agreement (ICC 0.31-0.70) and higher RMSE (5.5 to 8.7 degrees).

Conclusions:

• IMU-based motion analysis is a valid and accurate tool for assessing surgical movements.
• IMU technology is recommended over markerless methods for surgical applications.
• Accurate motion analysis can inform the development of ergonomic solutions for surgeons.