The reliability of trunk segment inertial parameter estimates made from geometric models

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability with which trunk segment inertial parameters could be estimated using a geometric modelling technique. Repeat width and depth measurements were obtained from eight male participants by two examiners. This enabled trunk inertial parameters to be estimated using a geometric model similar to that defined by Yeadon (1990). The majority of these parameters were estimated with acceptable inter-examiner and intra-examiner reliability, this was determined by an intraclass correlation value greater than 0.7. The lowest reliability was obtained for the shoulders segment which can be difficult to model due to its irregular shape. If shoulder segment inertial parameters are to be considered in a given analysis, the use of repeat measures is recommended as a way to improve reliability.