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Abstract Background Restriction of movement at a joint due to disease or dysfunction can alter the range of motion (ROM) at other joints due to joint interactions. In this paper, we quantify the extent to which joint restrictions impact upper limb joint movements by conducting a disability simulation study that used wearable inertial sensors for three-dimensional (3D) motion capture. Methods We employed the Wearable Inertial Sensors for Exergames (WISE) system for assessing the ROM at the shoulder (flexion–extension, abduction–adduction, and internal–external rotation), elbow (flexion–extension), and forearm (pronation-supination). We recruited 20 healthy individuals to first perform instructed shoulder, elbow, and forearm movements without any external restrictions, and then perform the same movements with restriction braces placed to limit movement at the shoulder, elbow, and forearm, separately, to simulate disability. To quantify the extent to which a restriction at a non-instructed joint affected movement at an instructed joint, we computed average percentage reduction in ROM in the restricted versus unrestricted conditions. Moreover, we performed analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey tests (q statistic) to determine the statistical significance (p |
