CAN INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNITS BE USED TO VALIDLY MEASURE PELVIS AND THORAX MOTION DURING CRICKET BOWLING?

Identifying lumbar injury risk amongst cricket bowlers is a challenge to those involved in the sport. Bowling technique injury risk factors concerning thoracic and pelvic motion have been identified by previous research that used three-dimensional (3D) retro-reflective (RR) motion analysis. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are considered a feasible and more portable means of 3D motion analysis. However, the validity of IMU measurement of thorax and pelvis movement during bowling has not yet been fully determined. This study aimed to achieve this by comparing concurrent IMU and RR angle outputs. Results suggest that when RR coordinate systems are aligned with IMUs’ there are no significant differences in cricket bowling relevant angle outputs. However, some differences arise when IMUs are compared to the anatomically derived RR angle outputs typically used in 3D analysis