Inertial sensors to quantify the pivot shift test in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injury

Abstract

The main purpose of this article was to describe in detail, from the perspective of the clinical end user, a previously presented non-invasive methodology, applied in the treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injury, in which inertial sensors are used to quantify the pivot shift test. The outcomes obtained and relative considerations were compared with findings emerging from a review of the relevant updated literature. The detailed description here provided covers the system, the parameters identified and the testing procedure; it also includes the technical specifications of the hardware, the features introduced in the updated version of the software and the application of the system in clinical practice. The comparison of the technical considerations and clinical results with the updated literature confirmed the system’s optimal ergonomics, good reproducibility and clinical reliability. The novel approach here analyzed has been shown to overcome the weaknesses of other available devices and systems. Therefore, since it can be considered a new paradigm in the quantification of pivot shift test, we can recommend its routine use in clinical practice.