Assessment of Shoulder Girdle Elevation Motion using Daid Smart Shirt: A Reliability and Validity Study

Muscle function around the shoulder girdle can be impaired by pain, which leads to abnormal movement e.g. elevation. Movement faults should be assessed specifically, therefore individual sport rehabilitation strategies can be implemented. Smart garments are efficient for upper body movement assessment. There is a lack of literature stating that smart textile garments are reliable and valid for shoulder gridle elevation. The purpose of the study was to examine reliability and validity of the DAid smart shirt during shoulder girdle elevation. Twenty-one female volunteers aged 24.3. (SD3.3), body mass index 19.3 (SD 0.5) were recruited. The DAid smart shirt and 2D movement video analysis software Quintic Biomechanics v26, UK were the assessment tools utilized. Cronbach alpha coefficient and Interclass Correlation Coefficient were calculated to assess the within-session test-retest reliability. Bland – Altman analysis was applied to determine validity. Results: reliability for the right side measures: Cronbach alpha coefficient α ≥ 0.9, ICC ≥ 0.9. Reliability for the left side measures: Cronbach alpha coefficient α ≥ 0.9, ICC ≥ 0.91. Bland -Altman analysis presents that DAid smart shirt measures are valid during shoulder girdle elevation. Conclusion: smart shirt measures are reliable and valid during shoulder girdle elevation movements.