Shadow Moiré technique for postural assessment: qualitative assessment protocol by intra- and inter-rater evaluation.
José Nunes da Silva Filho, Luiz Alberto Batista, Jonas Lírio Gurgel and 1 others
PMID 28265173WHAT IT FOUND
In 15 Shadow Moiré back images, two trained examiners showed repeatable agreement on many posture judgments, but sagittal neck and lower back were often unreadable.
Key findings
01The written script produced good or substantial agreement for several frontal plane posture items.
02The study measured consistency of repeated qualitative judgments, not treatment effect.
03Some agreement values were lower, including 0.63 for lumbar alignment between raters.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study used 15 topograms from 15 nursing professionals in one polyclinic, so it does not show how the script performs in children, older adults, or patients with spinal deformity. The examiners were trained physical education professionals, so the agreement may not transfer to other clinicians. The sagittal cervical and lumbar regions were often marked as unable to see, which limits use for those findings. The study measured agreement in reading images, not diagnostic accuracy or patient outcomes. All topograms were of the back, so the findings do not cover whole-body posture.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that Shadow Moiré topography diagnoses scoliosis or improves posture. It measured whether two trained examiners agreed when reading 15 back images, and many sagittal cervical and lumbar images were marked as unable to see.