Concurrent validity and reliability of the Simple Goniometer iPhone app compared with the Universal Goniometer

Physiother Theory Pract. 2014 Oct;30(7):512-6. doi: 10.3109/09593985.2014.900835. Epub 2014 Mar 25.

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the concurrent validity and reliability of the Simple Goniometer (SG) iPhone® app compared to the Universal Goniometer (UG).

Design: Within subject comparison design comparing the UG with the SG app.

Setting: James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

Participants: Thirty-six volunteer participants, with a mean age of 60.6 years (SD 6.2).

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measure: Thirty-six participants performed three standing lunges during which the knee joint angle was measured with the SG app and the UG.

Results: There were no significant differences in the measures of individual knee joint angles between the UG and the SG app. Pearson correlations of 0.96-0.98 and intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.97-0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.95-1.00) were recorded for all measures. Using the Bland-Altman method, the standard error of the mean of the differences and the standard deviation of the mean of the differences were low.

Conclusion: The measurements from the SG iPhone® app were reliable and possessed concurrent validity for this sample and protocol when compared to the UG.

Keywords: Goniometry; joint range; knee; measurement.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Arthrometry, Articular / instrumentation*
  • Arthrometry, Articular / methods
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cell Phone*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Knee Joint / physiology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mobile Applications*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Queensland
  • Range of Motion, Articular
  • Reproducibility of Results