A new model for the determination of limb segment mass in children

Background The knowledge of limb segment masses is critical for the calculation of joint torques. Several methods for segment mass estimation have been described in the literature. They are either inaccurate or not applicable to the limb segments of children. Therefore, we developed a new cylinder brick model (CBM) to estimate segment mass in children. Methods The aim of this study was to compare CBM and a model based on a polynomial regression equation (PRE) to volume measurement obtained by the water displacement method (WDM). We examined forearms, hands, lower legs, and feet of 121 children using CBM, PRE, and WDM. The differences between CBM and WDM or PRE and WDM were calculated and compared using a Bland–Altman plot of differences. Findings Absolute limb segment mass measured by WDM ranged from 0.16 ± 0.04 kg for hands in girls 5–6 years old, up to 2.72 ± 1.03 kg for legs in girls 11–12 years old. The differences of normalised segment masses ranged from 0.0002 ± 0.0021 to 0.0011 ± 0.0036 for CBM–WDM and from 0.0023 ± 0.0041 to 0.0127 ± 0.036 for PRE–WDM (values are mean ± 2 S.D.). The CBM showed better agreement with WDM than PRE for all limb segments in girls and boys. Interpretation CBM is accurate and superior to PRE for the estimation of individual limb segment mass of children. Therefore, CBM is a practical and useful tool for the analysis of kinetic parameters and the calculation of resulting forces to assess joint functionality in children.