Validity and reliability of a new non-invasive method for measuring the scoliosis deformity

Z. Ebrahimabadi, M.Yousefi, S.Shanbehzade, S.S.Naimi, A. Daryabor

Abstract: The objective of the study was to assess the reliability and validity of a new non-invasive system for measuring scoliosis spinal angles in thoracic and lumbar region. Three raters independently measured 27 individuals with scoliotic deformity three times on each subject at a one-week interval. Validity was evaluated by assessing the correlation between the X-ray Cobb angle and new infrared method (Body Landmark Analyzer system (BLA)), and reliability (inter and intra rater) were investigated with raters 1-3. The results of the current study revealed excellent inter- (ICC: 0.81-0.87) and intra-rater (ICC: 0.87-0.90) reliability for spinal curve angle measurement and high validity with Cobb angle measures of X-ray (ICC: 0.80-0.88) in thoracic region. The findings of this study showed that BLA system could provide a reliable, safe, and valid device to measure scoliotic curve angle.

Series on Biomechanics, Vol.37, No.2 (2023), 18-26
DOI: 10.7546/SB.02.02.2023

Keywords: deformity; non-invasive method; reliability; scoliosis; Validity

Date published: 2023-06-19