Torsobarography: Intra-Observer Reliability Study of a Novel Posture Analysis Based on Pressure Distribution

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Postural deformities often manifest themselves in a sagittal imbalance and an asymmetric morphology of the torso. As a novel topographic method, torsobarography assesses the morphology of the back by analysing pressure distribution along the torso in a lying position. At torsobarography's core is a capacitive pressure sensor array. To evaluate its feasibility as a diagnostic tool, the reproducibility of the system and extracted anatomical associated parameters were evaluated on 40 subjects. Landmarks and reference distances were identified within the pressure images. The examined parameters describe the shape of the spine, various structures of the trunk symmetry, such as the scapulae, and the pelvic posture. The results showed that the localisation of the different structures performs with a good (ICC > 0.75) to excellent (ICC > 0.90) reliability. In particular, parameters for approximating the sagittal spine shape were reliably reproduced (ICC > 0.83). Lower reliability was observed for asymmetry parameters, which can be related to the low variability within the subject group. Nonetheless, the reliability levels of selected parameters are comparable to commercial systems. This study demonstrates the substantial potential of torsobarography at its current stage for reliable posture analysis and may pave the way as an early detection system for postural deformities.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number768
JournalSensors
Volume24
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 24 Jan 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC10857123
Scopus 85184661002
ORCID /0009-0009-4218-418X/work/155292089

Keywords

Keywords

  • Humans, Reproducibility of Results, Observer Variation, Spine, Posture, Pelvis