Objective: Recent advances in smartphone applications for measuring range of motion have led to the development of the physio master application by Trinus Laboratory, Navi Mumbai. This app, equipped with a magnetometer and accelerometer, accurately measures the angle between starting and ending device positions. This study aimed to assess the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability, as well as the criterion validity, of the physio master application in measuring cervical range of motion in healthy individuals.
Method: This study included 90 healthy individuals. The two therapists measured the cervical range of motion of each participant twice by using the physio master application (for the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability) and once with the digital goniometer (for the estimation of criterion validity). Then the reliability and validity were estimated by using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).
Result: The study found excellent intra-rater reliability for both therapists (ICCs: 0.77-0.96), with extension showing the highest reliability. Inter-rater reliability was also excellent (ICCs: 0.86-0.96), and criterion validity compared to a digital goniometer ranged from (0.79-0.93), with extension again showing the highest validity.
Conclusion: The results demonstrated excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability, along with outstanding validity when compared to a digital goniometer. These findings indicate that the physio master application is a reliable and valid alternative to traditional goniometers for measuring cervical range of motion, providing a convenient and advanced tool for clinicians and researchers.
Keywords: cervical range of motion; digital goniometer; physio master application; reliability; validity.
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