Comparison of the reliability of two 3D aquisition systems used for the study of anthropometric and postural parameters

The goal of this study is to compare the between trials and between session reliability of the postural geometry (PG) and anthropometrical evaluations , obtained by the FreePoint (FP) system and the Motion Analysis System (MA) . The potential of automatisation of the anthropometric evaluation is also evaluate through the comparison of height measurements obtained by the two 3D systems and traditional anthropometrical tools, The PG of 15 adult contr ol subjects ((x) over bar: 25 years, SD: 6) evaluated on two occasions (1 w eek interval) and a mannequin on one occasion were evaluated with both syst ems. Each evaluation involved the identification of 52 anatomical landmarks followed by the acquisition of 5 trials with each system. The 3 dimensiona l position of the anatomical landmarks serves to define a postural model in cluding the shoulder girdle: spinous processes (Tl to Si), thorax, pelvis, lower extremities and base of support. Postural parameters were calculated, including rotations, tilts, versions, kyphosis, lordosis, right and left C obb, anteroposterior shifts, (AP), mediolateral shifts (ML) and vertical he ights. The between trials and between session results demonstrate a strong correspondence of the 15 anthropometric heights and the 20 postural paramet ers between the three systems, permitting the proposal of a broadened clini cal utilisation of the FreePoint system. However, the validity of these mea sures is influenced by the reliability of the anthropometric landmarking, n atural oscillation of the body and the intra-specific variation of the post ure of each subject.