Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
Video Movement Analysis Using Smartphones ViMAS: A Pilot Study
Published on: March 14, 2017
Slow-motion smartphone video improves interobserver reliability of gait assessment in ambulatory cerebral palsy
Dane J Brodke1, Katherine Makaroff1, Enda G Kelly2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Insights
Slow-motion smartphone video significantly improves the reliability of visual gait assessments for pediatric neuromuscular conditions. This accessible tool enhances diagnostic accuracy for clinicians worldwide.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Biomechanical Analysis
Background:
- Structured visual gait assessment is crucial for evaluating pediatric patients with neuromuscular conditions.
- Standard gait analysis methods can be limited in their ability to capture subtle abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of slow-motion video, recorded on a standard smartphone, in enhancing visual gait assessment.
- To determine if slow-motion video improves interrater reliability in gait scoring.
Main Methods:
- Coronal and sagittal plane gait videos of five pediatric subjects (four with cerebral palsy) were recorded using a smartphone.
- Twenty-one video scorers were randomized to evaluate videos at either slow-motion (1/8 speed) or normal speed using the Edinburgh Visual Gait Score.
- Interrater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).
Main Results:
- The slow-motion group achieved a higher ICC (0.65) compared to the normal-speed group (0.57).
- Slow-motion video improved reliability for both less-experienced (ICC 0.62 vs. 0.50) and more-experienced scorers (ICC 0.69 vs. 0.67).
- The benefits of slow-motion video were observed across different experience levels of scorers.
Conclusions:
- Slow-motion smartphone video enhances the reliability of visual gait assessment for pediatric neuromuscular conditions.
- This method offers a cost-effective and globally accessible tool for improving diagnostic capabilities.
- Smartphone-based slow-motion video analysis represents a valuable advancement in pediatric gait evaluation.
Purpose:
Structured visual gait assessment is essential for the evaluation of pediatric patients with neuromuscular conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit of slow-motion video recorded on a standard smartphone to augment visual gait assessment.
Methods:
Coronal and sagittal plane videos of the gait of five pediatric subjects were recorded on a smartphone, including four subjects with ambulatory cerebral palsy and one subject without gait pathology. Twenty-one video scorers were recruited and randomized to evaluate slow-motion or normal-speed videos utilizing the Edinburgh Visual Gait Score. The slow-motion group (N = 11) evaluated the videos at one-eighth speed, and the normal-speed group (N = 10) evaluated the same videos at normal speed. Interrater reliabilities were determined by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients for each group as a whole, for each Edinburgh Visual Gait Score item, and after stratification by evaluator experience level.
Results:
The slow-motion group exhibited an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.65 (95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.73), whereas the normal-speed group exhibited an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.57 (95% confidence interval: 0.49-0.65). For less-experienced scorers, intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.62 (95% confidence interval: 0.53-0.71) and 0.50 (95% confidence interval: 0.40-0.59) were calculated for slow motion and normal speed, respectively. For more-experienced scorers, intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.69 (95% confidence interval: 0.61-0.76) and 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.75) were calculated for slow motion and normal speed, respectively.
Conclusions:
Visual gait assessment is enhanced by the use of slow-motion smartphone video, a tool widely available throughout the world with no marginal cost.
Level Of Evidence:
level I, randomized study.
