Introduction Spastic cerebral palsy (CP) affects mandibular and cervical motor control, making accurate assessment of range of motion (ROM) clinically important. Manual goniometry is widely used but observer-dependent, whereas advanced 3D motion systems are costly. Kinovea software offers a two-dimensional, digital video-based alternative; however, its validity in this population remains unclear. Methods Fifty-two children with spastic CP (mean age = 10.8 ± 2.4 years; GMFCS I–IV) underwent mandibular and cervical ROM assessment using manual goniometry and Kinovea video analysis. Two raters performed measurements twice, 1 week apart. Concurrent validity (Pearson’s r), intra/inter-rater reliability (ICC), SEM, MDC95, and Bland–Altman agreement analyses were conducted. Results Kinovea demonstrated excellent concurrent validity compared with manual goniometry (r = 0.87–0.99, p 0.001) across all assessed movements. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were high (ICC = 0.91–0.97). SEM values ranged from 0.41° to 1.01°, and MDC95 values ranged from 1.13° to 2.79°, indicating high measurement precision. Bland–Altman analysis revealed minimal mean bias and narrow limits of agreement, confirming consistent agreement between methods. Discussion Kinovea provides precise, reproducible, and clinically feasible measurement of temporomandibular and cervical ROM in children with spastic CP when applied under standardized assessment conditions. The availability of SEM and MDC95 values supports its clinical interpretability for monitoring meaningful changes over time, and its digital nature facilitates integration into routine neurorehabilitation and tele-assessment settings.
Çopuroğlu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.