Use of wand markers on the pelvis in three dimensional gait analysis

- Wand markers were used on the pelvis to virtually replace surface ASIS markers.
- This is useful when excessive adipose tissue obscures these markers.
- Wand markers can be used to accurately replace surface ASIS markers.
- Accuracy was within one degree of the actual surface markers.

During clinical gait analysis, surface markers are placed over the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) of the pelvis. However, this can be problematic in overweight or obese subjects, where excessive adipose tissue can obscure the markers and prevent accurate tracking. A novel solution to this problem has previously been proposed and tested on a limited sample of healthy, adult subjects. This involves use of wand markers on the pelvis, to virtually recreate the ASIS markers. The method was tested here on 20 typical subjects presenting for clinical gait analysis (adults and children, including overweight subjects). The method was found to accurately reproduce ASIS markers, and allow calculation of pelvic angles to within one degree of angles produced by ASIS markers.