Reliability and validity of a smartphone application in the assessment of scapular position

Traditional methods to assess scapular position involve specific devices that may not be widely available to clinicians. In this way, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of a smartphone clinometer application to assess scapular upward rotation, comparing the results to a three-dimensional tracking system. Twenty young adults asymptomatic for shoulder pain were evaluated for upward rotation during arm elevation using the application Clinometer and the three-dimensional tracking system Qualisys®. The results showed that the smartphone clinometer application could be considered a reliable tool to measure scapular upward position until 60° of arm elevation, which could be an easy and low-cost way to measure scapular position in clinical practice.