scholarly journals Wearable inertial sensors are highly sensitive in the detection of gait disturbances and fatigue at early stages of multiple sclerosis

BMC Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Müller ◽  
Daniel Hamacher ◽  
Sascha Hansen ◽  
Patrick Oschmann ◽  
Philipp M. Keune
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Significant Linear Trend ◽  
Subjective Fatigue ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Wearable Inertial Sensors ◽  
Gait Disturbances ◽  
Healthy Participants

Abstract Background The aim of the current study was to examine multiple gait parameters obtained by wearable inertial sensors and their sensitivity to clinical status in early multiple sclerosis (MS). Further, a potential correlation between gait parameters and subjective fatigue was explored. Methods Automated gait analyses were carried out on 88 MS patients and 31 healthy participants. To measure gait parameters (i.e. walking speed, stride length, stride duration, duration of stance and swing phase, minimal toe-to-floor distance), wearable inertial sensors were utilized throughout a 6-min 25-ft walk. Additionally, self-reported subjective fatigue was assessed. Results Mean gait parameters consistently revealed significant differences between healthy participants and MS patients from as early as an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) value of 1.5 onwards. Further, MS patients showed a significant linear trend in all parameters, reflecting continuously deteriorating gait performance throughout the test. This linear deterioration trend showed significant correlations with fatigue. Conclusions Wearable inertial sensors are highly sensitive in the detection of gait disturbances, even in early MS, where global scales such as the EDSS do not provide any clinical information about deviations in gait behavior. Moreover, these measures provide a linear trend parameter of gait deterioration that may serve as a surrogate marker of fatigue. In sum, these results suggest that classic timed walking tests in routine clinical practice should be replaced by readily and automatically applicable gait assessments, as provided by inertial sensors.

scholarly journals Spatio-temporal gait parameters obtained from foot-worn inertial sensors are reliable in healthy adults in single- and dual-task conditions

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Soulard ◽  
J. Vaillant ◽  
R. Balaguier ◽  
N. Vuillerme
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Gait Symmetry ◽  
Symmetry Index ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Task Conditions ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Absolute Reliability

AbstractInertial measurement units (IMUs) are increasingly popular and may be usable in clinical routine to assess gait. However, assessing their intra-session reliability is crucial and has not been tested with foot-worn sensors in healthy participants. The aim of this study was to assess the intra-session reliability of foot-worn IMUs for measuring gait parameters in healthy adults. Twenty healthy participants were enrolled in the study and performed the 10-m walk test in single- and dual-task ('carrying a full cup of water') conditions, three trials per condition. IMUs were used to assess spatiotemporal gait parameters, gait symmetry parameters (symmetry index (SI) and symmetry ratio (SR)), and dual task effects parameters. The relative and the absolute reliability were calculated for each gait parameter. Results showed that spatiotemporal gait parameters measured with foot-worn inertial sensors were reliable; symmetry gait parameters relative reliability was low, and SR showed better absolute reliability than SI; dual task effects were poorly reliable, and taking the mean of the second and the third trials was the most reliable. Foot-worn IMUs are reliable to assess spatiotemporal and symmetry ratio gait parameters but symmetry index and DTE gait parameters reliabilities were low and need to be interpreted with cautious by clinicians and researchers.

Clinical assessment of gait in individuals with multiple sclerosis using wearable inertial sensors: Comparison with patient-based measure

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 187-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Pau ◽  
Silvia Caggiari ◽  
Alessandro Mura ◽  
Federica Corona ◽  
Bruno Leban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Clinical Assessment ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Wearable Inertial Sensors

scholarly journals Estimation of temporal gait parameters of multiple sclerosis patients in clinical setting using inertial sensors

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julius Griškevičius ◽  
Vigita Apanskienė ◽  
Jurgita Žižienė ◽  
Kristina Daunoravičienė ◽  
Agnė Ovčinikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Clinical Setting ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Permanent Disability ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most frequent neurological disease causing permanent disability in young adults. Subtle walking difficulties, such as reduced walking speed, step length, cadence and increased step width can be detected at an early stage of the disease. Main goal of this research is by using non-invasive wireless inertial sensors measure gait of MS patients in clinical setting and extract temporal biomechanical parameters that would allow objectively evaluate level of disability in MS patients. Analysis of 25-Foot walk showed that the duration of stance phase is approximately 1.6 times greater in MS group than in healthy control group, while the duration of swing phase in MS group is 1.3 times longer. In general, the MS patients are walking approximately 1.6 times slower.

scholarly journals Measuring Gait Stability in People with Multiple Sclerosis Using Different Sensor Locations and Time Scales

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4001
Author(s):  
Roy Müller ◽  
Lucas Schreff ◽  
Lisa-Eyleen Koch ◽  
Patrick Oschmann ◽  
Daniel Hamacher
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Time Scale ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Foot Kinematics ◽  
Gait Stability ◽  
Trunk Movements ◽  
Disability Status ◽  
Healthy Participants ◽  
Minute Walk ◽  
Sensor Locations

The evaluation of local divergence exponent (LDE) has been proposed as a common gait stability measure in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). However, differences in methods of determining LDE may lead to different results. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of different sensor locations and LDE measures on the sensitivity to discriminate PwMS. To accomplish this, 86 PwMS and 30 healthy participants were instructed to complete a six-minute walk wearing inertial sensors attached to the foot, trunk and lumbar spine. Due to possible fatigue effects, the LDE short (~50% of stride) and very short (~5% of stride) were calculated for the remaining first, middle and last 30 strides. The effect of group (PwMS vs. healthy participants) and time (begin, mid, end) and the effect of Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and time were assessed with linear random intercepts models. We found that perturbations seem to be better compensated in healthy participants on a longer time scale based on trunk movements and on a shorter time scale (almost instantaneously) according to the foot kinematics. Therefore, we suggest to consider both sensor location and time scale of LDE when calculating local gait stability in PwMS.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of the Mobility Rehab System for Mobility Training in Older Adults: A Pragmatic Clinical Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Vitório ◽  
Mahmoud El-Gohary ◽  
Sean Pearson ◽  
Patricia Carlson-Kuhta ◽  
Graham Harker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Clinical Trial ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Standard Therapy ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Pragmatic Clinical Trial ◽  
Mobility Training ◽  
Wearable Inertial Sensors ◽  
Gait Disturbances

Introduction: Mobility impairments are among the main causes of falls in older adults and patients with neurological diseases, leading to functional dependence and substantial health care costs. Feedback-based interventions applied in controlled, laboratory environments have shown promising results for mobility rehabilitation, enhancing the benefits of standard therapy. However, the effectiveness of sensor-based feedback to improve gait in actual outpatient physical therapy settings is unknown. The proposed trial examines the effectiveness of a physical therapist-assisted, visual feedback system using wearable inertial sensors, Mobility Rehab, for mobility training in older adults with gait disturbances in an outpatient clinic.Methods: The study is a single site, pragmatic clinical trial in older adults with gait disturbances. Two hundred patients undergoing their outpatient rehabilitation program are assigned, by an independent assistant, for screening by one of four therapists, and assigned to either a standard physical therapy or therapist-assisted feedback therapy. Both groups train twice a week for 6 weeks. Four physical therapists were randomized and stratified by years of experience to deliver standard therapy or therapist-assisted feedback rehabilitation. Each session is 45 min long. Gait is trained for 30 min. The additional 15 min include exercises for endurance, strength, and static and dynamic balance in functional tasks. Mobility Rehab uses unobtrusive, inertial sensors on the feet and belt with real-time algorithms to provide real-time feedback on gait metrics (i.e., gait speed, double support time, foot clearance, angle at foot strike, and arm swing), which are displayed on a hand-held monitor. Blinded assessments are carried out before and after the intervention. The primary outcome measure is subjects' perception of balance as measured by the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale. Gait speed, as measured with wearable inertial sensors during walking, is the secondary outcome measure.Discussion: We hypothesize that therapist-assisted feedback rehabilitation will be more effective than standard rehabilitation for gait. Feedback of motor performance plays a crucial role in rehabilitation and objective characterization of gait impairments by Mobility Rehab has the potential to improve the accuracy of patient-specific gait feedback.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03869879.

scholarly journals Short bouts of gait data and inertial sensors can provide reliable measures of spatiotemporal gait parameters from bilateral gait data of participants with multiple sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian Genaro Motti Ader ◽  
Barry R. Greene ◽  
Killian McManus ◽  
Niall Tubridy ◽  
Brian Caulfield
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Stride Time ◽  
Good Reliability ◽  
Time Asymmetry ◽  
Gait Assessment ◽  
Gait Parameters

Abstract Background:Wearable devices equipped with inertial sensors enable objective gait assessment for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), with potential use in ambulatory care or home and community-based assessments. However, gait data collected in non-controlled settings is often fragmented and may not provide enough information for reliable measures. We evaluate a novel approach, extracting pre-defined numbers of gait cycles from the full length of a walking task, and their effects on the reliability of spatiotemporal gait parameters.Methods:The present study evaluates intra-session reliability of spatiotemporal gait parameters for short bouts of gait data extracted from the full length of the walking tasks to 1) determine the effects of the length of the walking task on the reliability of calculated measures and 2) identify spatiotemporal gait parameters that can provide reliable measures for gait assessments and reference data in different settings.Thirty-seven participants (37) diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (EDSS rage 0 to 4.5) executed two trials, walking 20m each, with inertial sensors attached to their right and left shanks. Previously published algorithms were applied to identify gait events from the medio-lateral angular velocity. Short bouts of gait data were extracted from each trial, with lengths varying from 3 to 9 gait cycles. Twenty-one measures of spatiotemporal gait parameters were calculated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated to evaluate how the degree of agreement between the two trials of each participant varied with the number of gait cycles included in the analysis.Results:Spatiotemporal gait parameters calculated as the mean across included gait cycles reach excellent reliability from three gait cycles. Stride time variability and asymmetry, as well as stride velocity variability and asymmetry, reach good reliability from six gait cycles and should be further explored for persons with MS, while stride time asymmetry and step time asymmetry do not seem to provide reliable measures and should be reported carefully.Conclusion:Short bouts of gait data, including at least six gait cycles of bilateral data, can provide reliable gait measurements for persons with MS, opening new perspectives for gait assessment using wearable devices in non-controlled environments, to support monitoring of symptoms of persons with neurological diseases.Trial registrationNot applicable.

scholarly journals A Proposal of a Motion Measurement System to Support Visually Impaired People in Rehabilitation Using Low-Cost Inertial Sensors

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 848
Author(s):  
Karla Miriam Reyes Leiva ◽  
Milagros Jaén-Vargas ◽  
Miguel Ángel Cuba ◽  
Sergio Sánchez Lara ◽  
José Javier Serrano Olmedo
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Personal Autonomy ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Hand Position ◽  
Visually Impaired People ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Impaired Person ◽  
Further Development

The rehabilitation of a visually impaired person (VIP) is a systematic process where the person is provided with tools that allow them to deal with the impairment to achieve personal autonomy and independence, such as training for the use of the long cane as a tool for orientation and mobility (O&M). This process must be trained personally by specialists, leading to a limitation of human, technological and structural resources in some regions, especially those with economical narrow circumstances. A system to obtain information about the motion of the long cane and the leg using low-cost inertial sensors was developed to provide an overview of quantitative parameters such as sweeping coverage and gait analysis, that are currently visually analyzed during rehabilitation. The system was tested with 10 blindfolded volunteers in laboratory conditions following constant contact, two points touch, and three points touch travel techniques. The results indicate that the quantification system is reliable for measuring grip rotation, safety zone, sweeping amplitude and hand position using orientation angles with an accuracy of around 97.62%. However, a new method or an improvement of hardware must be developed to improve gait parameters’ measurements, since the step length measurement presented a mean accuracy of 94.62%. The system requires further development to be used as an aid in the rehabilitation process of the VIP. Now, it is a simple and low-cost technological aid that has the potential to improve the current practice of O&M.

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