Measurement of Pelvic Orientation Angles during Sprinting Using a Single Inertial Sensor

The purpose of this study was to elucidate pelvic orientation angles using a single lower back-mounted inertial sensor during sprinting. A single inertial sensor was attached to each sprinter’s lower back, used to measure continuous pelvic movements including pelvic obliquity (roll), anterior-posterior tilt (pitch) and rotation (yaw) during sprinting from a straight to bend section. The pelvic orientation angles were estimated with the three-dimensional sensor orientation using a sensor fusion algorithm. Absolute angles derived from the sensor were compared with angles obtained from an optical motion capture system over a 15 m length. The root mean squared error between the sensor and motion capture data were 4.1° for roll, 2.8° for pitch and 3.6° for yaw. Therefore, the sensor was comparable to the motion capture system for tracking pelvic angle changes. The inertial sensor is now supported as a valid tool to measure movements of the pelvis during sprinting.