The test-retest reliability of three different hip joint centre location techniques

Abstract

The hip joint centre (HJC) is essential in kinematic analyses. Three principal techniques exist for the estimation of the HJC, anatomical, functional and projection, although their test-retest has not been established. Fifteen participants ran at 4.0 m.s-1 ± 5%; 3-D kinematics of the hip and knee were collected. The HJC was defined twice using each technique (test-and-retest) and the kinematic data was applied to both. The results show significant test-retest differences in the coronal and transverse planes using the functional and projection techniques. Strong test-retest intraclass-correlations were observed for all techniques although the anatomical method was associated with the highest reliability. The anatomical technique for HJC estimation appears to be the most reliable; therefore its utilization for 3-D analyses is recommended. © ACAPS, EDP Sciences, 2013.