Reliability of the Moover® 3D Inertial Motion Sensor in Greek Patients With Chronic Neck Pain in a Primary Care Urban Setting

TL;DR

This study shows that a 3D motion sensor is reliable for measuring neck movement in Greek patients with chronic neck pain, and the NDI scale is also reliable for assessing disability.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the reliability of the Moover® 3D sensor in a Greek primary care setting for chronic neck pain patients.

Findings

Inter-rater reliability of the Moover® 3D sensor was good to excellent (ICC 0.77–0.95).

Intra-rater reliability of the sensor was moderate to excellent (ICC 0.74–0.94).

The NDI scale showed good intra-rater reliability (ICC 0.80).

Abstract

Introduction

Neck pain has a high lifetime prevalence and represents a significant health issue. Reduced active cervical range of motion (ACROM) has been found in neck pain patients. Inertial sensor technology can provide objective measurements to assess the impaired ACROM.

Purpose

Primarily, this study investigated the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the Moover® three-dimensional (3D) inertial motion sensor (Sensor Medica, Rome, Italy) in Greek patients with non-specific chronic neck pain. Secondly, the intra-rater reliability of the Neck Disability Index (NDI) was also assessed.

Methods

Fifty patients (18 males and 32 females) suffering from non-specific chronic neck pain participated in this study. Two physiotherapists measured separately each participant’s ACROM in three planes, within a 48-hour period. The participants’ position and the sequence and direction of the three cervical movements (cervical rotation, lateral flexion, and flexion-extension) were standardized.

Results

The inter-rater reliability intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) values were good to excellent ranging from 0.77 to 0.95 for the first measurement and 0.85 to 0.95 for the second (p < 0.001). The intra-rater reliability ICC values were moderate to excellent ranging from 0.74 to 0.92 for the first rater and good to excellent ranging from 0.83 to 0.94 for the secondrater (p < 0.001). Intra-rater reliability of the overall NDI was indicated as good, and ICC was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.65-0.89; p < 0.001). ICC values for all sections were significant and ranged from 0.40 to 0.88.

Conclusion

This study showed the reliability of the Moover 3D inertial sensor for ACROM measurement in Greek patients with chronic neck pain. The NDI scale also showed good intra-rater reliability in the same sample. Both intra- and inter-rater reliability of the Moover 3D were proven to be acceptable over a 48-hour period. The specific sensor might have a potential application in a clinical setting.

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