Spartacus: A review and aggregation of reference datasets reporting the normal shoulder girdle kinematics during...

Understanding 3D shoulder girdle kinematics is essential for applications in medicine, sports, and computational biomechanics, where reference data help quantify deviations from the standard. Unfortunately, existing datasets on shoulder kinematics based on gold-standard measurements are often inconsistent in data collection methods, segment definitions, and joint kinematics computation, limiting their relevance. This study reviews and aggregates available datasets to establish Spartacus, a comprehensive reference for normal shoulder girdle kinematics. We gathered 20 datasets, published between 2000 and 2023, and aligned them, when possible, with the International Society of Biomechanics recommendations to enable population-wide analysis. Spartacus comprises data recorded in vivo (70 %) or ex vivo (30 %) on 245 shoulders using intracortical pins (55 %) or imaging (45 %), primarily during active dynamic (65 %) movements. The dataset predominantly covers arm elevation records in the scapular (70 %), frontal (50 %), and sagittal (50 %) planes, but also includes internal-external rotation and horizontal flexion. Both rotations and translations are represented across all shoulder girdle joints, with scapulothoracic rotations being the most frequent (75 %). Our approach corrects or at least compensates for six identified deviations in local coordinate system definitions and joint kinematics computation methods. Substantial inconsistencies across existing datasets reveal a need for improved standardisation to facilitate reliable data comparisons. Spartacus, openly available, will enable researchers to explore normal shoulder girdle kinematics, and provides a foundation for future clinical and biomechanical studies.