Validation of trunk kinematics analysis through serious games rehabilitation exercises using the Kinect™ sensor

Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most frequent musculoskeletal pathology. There is, currently, a lack of affordable and easy to use assessment tool for these patients. For the moment such kind of evaluation tool are limited to gait analysis center. Management of LBP included physiotherapy and exercises that patients need to perform at-home. The use of serious games (games with a primary purpose other than pure entertainment) in the treatment of LBP patients is becoming more and more popular. Therefore the aim of this paper was to develop and validate a biomechanical analysis of trunk motion during rehabilitation exercises. Results obtained with the Kinect™ sensor were compared with results obtained using state-of-the-art optoelectronic device. Different score have also been developed in order to assess in a clinically relevant way the motions performed by the patients at-home exercises that need to be performed by the patients during conventional rehabilitation program or during telerehabilitation.