Development and pilot testing of a new device for q-angle measurement

摘要

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PPS) is a joint disorder responsible for 25% of knee injuries, affecting one in four people in the general population. The increased Q-angle is one of the main factors for the onset of this clinical condition; however, the methods used for Q-angle measurement are still inaccurate. This study aims to develop and test a new device for accurate and reproducible Q-angle measurement. The device developed in this study has a fixed part, which has a reference part, and a moving part that has an Arduino pro mini microcontroller, a potentiometer, a laser, a LED screen, a hollow hole, and an adjustable piece similar to a crosshair. For testing the device, an system usability test was performed by experts; it was also performed a system validation test and intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability tests. Statistical analysis of the results was performed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, which demonstrated that this device is accurate, reproducible, and widely accepted by experts..