Validity of the Microsoft Kinect™ in assessing spatiotemporal and lower extremity kinematics during stair ascent and descent in healthy young individuals

Stair negotiation is one of the most challenging, yet frequently encountered, locomotor tasks in daily life. This study is the first attempt to investigate the capacity of the Kinect™ sensor to assess stair negotiation spatiotemporal and sagittal plane kinematic variables. The goal of this study was to examine the validity of the Kinect™ v2 sensor in assessing lower extremity kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters in healthy young individuals; and to demonstrate its potential as a low-cost stair gait analysis tool. Twelve healthy participants ascended and descended a 3-step custom-built staircase at their preferred speed, as spatiotemporal parameters and kinematics were extracted simultaneously using the Kinect™ and a three-dimensional motion analysis. Spatiotemporal measures included gait speed, swing phase time, and double stance time. Kinematic outcomes included hip, knee, and ankle joint angles in the sagittal plane. Consistency (ICC2,1) and absolute agreement (ICC3,1) between the two systems were assessed using separate interclass correlations coefficients. In addition, ensemble curves and associated 90% confidence intervals (CI90) were generated for the hip, knee, and ankle kinematics to enable between system comparisons throughout the gait cycle. Results showed that the Kinect™ has the potential to be an effective clinical assessment device for sagittal plane hip and knee joint kinematics and for some spatiotemporal parameters during the stair gait negotiation.