ArticleHong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao2017
Reliability of novice physiotherapists for measuring Cobb angle using a digital method.
Article in Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- Reliability of the Biomechanical Assessment of the Sagittal Thoracic Spine on Radiographs Used in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Literature Review.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Evaluating the Effect of the Schroth Method on Sensorimotor Control in Adolescents with Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Controlled Clinical Trial.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Article
- PCdare software registers 3D back surface with biplanar radiographs: application to patients with scoliosis.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- The seventh cervical vertebra is an appropriate landmark for thoracic kyphosis measures using distance from the wall.Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao · 2023Article
- Advancing Use of DEXA Scans to Quantitatively and Qualitatively Evaluate Lateral Spinal Curves, for Preliminary Identification of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.Calcified tissue international · 2023Article
- Cobb Angle Measurement of Spine from X-Ray Images Using Convolutional Neural Network.Computational and mathematical methods in medicine · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe Cobb's method is the most accurate and reliable method for kyphosis measurement. Conventionally, a sagittal Cobb angle was commonly derived from a lateral plain film. With computer technology, a digital method is widely used in common clinical settings, but the existing reliability data involved only experienced raters.
objectivesTo assess the interrater and intrarater reliability of a digital Cobb's method using novice physiotherapists.
methodsFifteen participants, with an occiput wall distance of more than 0 cm, were interviewed and assessed for their demographics. Then they were filmed for lateral spinal radiography over the area of thoracic spine in a standing position, and the Cobb angle was analyzed by four raters, including an expert physician and three novice physiotherapists, using a SurgimapSpine programme.
resultsThe average Cobb angles among the four raters showed no significant difference (
conclusionA digital Cobb's method had excellent reliability when used by a novice health professional rater. The findings confirm the ease of using this method to detect and monitor kyphosis in general hospitals, clinics, or research facilities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.