Association Between Markerless Motion Capture Screenings and Musculoskeletal Injury Risk for Military Trainees: A Large Cohort and Reliability Study

BACKGROUND: Markerless motion capture (MMC) systems used to screen for musculoskeletal injury (MSKI) risk have become popular in military and collegiate athletic settings. However, little is known regarding the test-retest reliability or, more importantly, the ability of these systems to accurately identify individuals at risk for MSKI. PURPOSE: To determine the association between scores from a proprietary MMC movement screen test and the likelihood of suffering a subsequent MSKI and establish the test-retest reliability of the MMC system used. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. METHODS: Trainees for the Air Force Special Warfare program underwent MMC screenings immediately before entering the 8-week training course. MSKI data were extracted from a database for the surveillance period for each trainee. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations between baseline MMC scores and the likelihood of suffering any MSKI or, specifically, a lower extremity MSKI. The test-retest portion of the study collected MMC scores from 10 separate participants performing 4 trials of the standard test procedures. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients by a single rater. RESULTS: Overall, 1570 trainees, of whom 800 (51%) suffered an MSKI, were included in the analysis. MMC scores poorly predicted the likelihood of any or a lower extremity MSKI (odds ratio, 1.01-1.02). Further, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses demonstrated poor sensitivity and specificity for prediction of MSKI with MMC scores (area under the curve = 0.53). Finally, intraclass correlation coefficients from the test-retest analysis of MMC scores ranged from 0.157 to 0.602. CONCLUSION: This MMC system displayed poor to moderate test-retest reliability and did not demonstrate the ability to discriminate between individuals who were and were not likely to suffer an MSKI.