Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of Kinovea software for measurement of shoulder range of motion

Goniometry is a tool used frequently for measuring and documenting range of motion (ROM) during a physical therapy examination. With modern innovations in technology, new methods other than the universal goniometer have been applied. Kinovea software is a recent video-based method that uses a virtual goniometer to obtain values for the ROM of joints. However, the software's reliability in measuring shoulder joint ROM has not been studied. This study was conducted to investigate the inter-rater and intrarater reliability of Kinovea software for measuring shoulder joint ROM in healthy individuals. Shoulder joint ROM was measured in 52 healthy individuals (mean±SD age was 26.7±4.2 years) using Kinovea photographic measurements by three trained raters. Intrarater reliability was examined by a single rater within the same day. Shoulder flexion, abduction, and external and internal rotation ROM were measured with the patient in supine position. The inter-rater reliability ranged from an intraclass correlation coefficient value of 0.95 to 0.98, whereas the intrarater reliability ranged from an intraclass correlation coefficient value of 0.98 to 0.99. This study showed highly reliable shoulder joint ROM measurements in healthy adults using the Kinovea software.