Lower Trunk Acceleration Signals Reflect Fall Risk During Walking

Nowadays, gait assessment in the real life environment is gaining more attention. Therefore, it is desirable to know how some factors, such as surfaces (natural, artificial) or dual-tasking, influence real life gait pattern. The aim of this study was to assess gait variability and gait complexity during single and dual-task walking on different surfaces in an outdoor environment. Twenty-nine healthy young adults aged 23.31 ± 2.26 years (18 females, 11 males) walked at their preferred walking speed on three different surfaces (asphalt, cobbles, grass) in single-task and in two dual-task conditions (manual task—carrying a cup filled with water, cognitive task—subtracting the number 7). A triaxial inertial sensor attached to the lower trunk was used to record trunk acceleration during gait. From 15 strides, sample entropy (SampEn) as an indicator of gait complexity and root mean square (RMS) as an indicator of gait variability were computed. The findings demonstrate that in an outdoor environment, the surfaces significantly impacted only gait variability, not complexity, and that the tasks affected both gait variability and complexity in young healthy adults.

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Real-Time Tool for Human Gait Detection from Lower Trunk Acceleration

Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing - Trends and Advances in Information Systems and Technologies ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-77700-9_2 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 9-18

Author(s):

Helena R. Gonçalves ◽

Rui Moreira ◽

Ana Rodrigues ◽

Graça Minas ◽

Luís Paulo Reis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Human Gait ◽

Lower Trunk ◽

Trunk Acceleration

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01 Prediction of Falls in Community-Dwelling Older People using an Accelerometer: The Results of a 1-Year Prospective Study

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz164.01 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. iv1-iv2

Author(s):

Hiroshi Osaka ◽

Daisuke Fujita ◽

Kenichi Kobara ◽

Yosuke Yoshimura ◽

Hiromi Matsumoto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Fall Risk ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Exercise Duration ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Gait Parameters ◽

Weight Shift ◽

Trunk Acceleration ◽

History Of ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

Abstract Background Fall preventive exercise for community-dwelling older people in Japan has a certain effect. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictors of fall risk in older people engaging in preventive exercise. Methods In this prospective study, we recruited 162 community-dwelling older people. We had them complete a self-report questionnaire containing items on weekly exercise frequency, exercise duration, exercise efficacy, amount of pain, number of diagnosis chronic diseases, health anxiety level, vision impairment, difficulty using the stairs, insomnia, fear of falling, history of falls, and forgetfulness, as well as the Falls Efficacy Scale. Walking speed and trunk acceleration during walking were also measured in all participants. From trunk acceleration, we calculated five gait parameters: fluctuation, weight shift, lateral balance, anteroposterior balance, and rhythm. Participants were classified as fallers or non-fallers according to the incidence of falls over a 1-year period from baseline assessment. Results Of all participants, 19 (11.7%) were classified as fallers and 143 (88.3%) as non-fallers. In comparing the fallers and non-fallers, we found significant differences in their exercise duration, exercise efficacy, amount of pain, history of falls, walking speed, and the gait parameters of weight shift and anteroposterior balance. A logistic regression analysis revealed that walking speed (odds ratio: 0.049, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.005-0.265, p=0.008) and weight shift (odds ratio: 0.021, 95%CI: 0.000-0.877, p=0.043) were predictors of falls. Conclusion The gait parameter of weight shift is the amplitude ratio of the auto-correlation function from vertical acceleration. This gait parameter is an original metrics and might show the temporal structure around the terminal stance. Measurement of gait parameters, in addition to physical performance, using an accelerometer seems beneficial for fall risk identification among community-dwelling older people engaged in fall preventive exercise.

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Multiscale PCA to distinguish regular and irregular surfaces using tri axial head and trunk acceleration signals

2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC) ◽

10.1109/embc.2015.7319301 ◽

2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gita Pendharkar ◽

Ganesh R. Naik ◽

Amit Acharyya ◽

Hung T. Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Irregular Surfaces ◽

Trunk Acceleration ◽

Acceleration Signals

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Differences in Gait Stability and Acceleration Characteristics Between Healthy Young and Older Females

Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences ◽

10.3389/fresc.2021.763309 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

Author(s):

Yuge Zhang ◽

Xinglong Zhou ◽

Mirjam Pijnappels ◽

Sjoerd M. Bruijn

Keyword(s):

Inertial Sensors ◽

Gait Stability ◽

Gait Performance ◽

Young Females ◽

Trunk Stability ◽

Lower Trunk ◽

Amplitude Maximum ◽

Lower Back ◽

Acceleration Amplitude ◽

Trunk Acceleration

Our aim was to evaluate differences in gait acceleration intensity, variability, and stability of feet and trunk between older females (OF) and young females (YF) using inertial sensors. Twenty OF (mean age 68.4, SD 4.1 years) and 18 YF (mean age 22.3, SD 1.7 years) were asked to walk straight for 100 meters at their preferred speed, while wearing inertial sensors on their heels and lower back. We calculated spatiotemporal measures, foot and trunk acceleration characteristics, their variability, and trunk stability using the local divergence exponent (LDE). Two-way ANOVA (such as the factors foot and age), Student's t-test and Mann–Whitney U test were used to compare statistical differences of measures between groups. Cohen's d effects were calculated for each variable. Foot maximum vertical (VT) acceleration and amplitude, trunk-foot VT acceleration attenuation, and their variability were significantly smaller in OF than in YF. In contrast, trunk mediolateral (ML) acceleration amplitude, maximum VT acceleration, amplitude, and their variability were significantly larger in OF than in YF. Moreover, OF showed lower stability (i.e., higher LDE values) in ML acceleration, ML, and VT angular velocity of the trunk. Even though we measured healthy OF, these participants showed lower VT foot accelerations with higher VT trunk acceleration, lower trunk-foot VT acceleration attenuation, less gait stability, and more variability of the trunk, and hence, were more likely to fall. These findings suggest that instrumented gait measurements may help for early detection of changes or impairments in gait performance, even before this can be observed by clinical eye or gait speed.

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Root mean square of lower trunk acceleration during walking in patients with unilateral total hip replacement

Gait & Posture ◽

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.07.032 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 58 ◽

pp. 19-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Osamu Wada ◽

Tsuyoshi Asai ◽

Yoshinori Hiyama ◽

Shingo Nitta ◽

Kiyonori Mizuno

Keyword(s):

Root Mean Square ◽

Total Hip Replacement ◽

Hip Replacement ◽

Mean Square ◽

Total Hip ◽

Lower Trunk ◽

Trunk Acceleration

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Continuous Daily Head and Trunk Acceleration Recording for the Assessment of Bone Stimulation in Astronauts

10.1101/2022.01.03.474794 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Gilles Clement ◽

Yoshino Sugita

Keyword(s):

Bone Mineral Density ◽

Bone Mineral ◽

Daily Life ◽

Vertical Acceleration ◽

Mineral Density ◽

Acceleration Signal ◽

Trunk Acceleration ◽

Life On Earth ◽

Acceleration Signals

The acceleration of the head and hip along the x-, y-, and z-axis of 14 healthy subjects was recorded during two sessions of 12 consecutive hours. The magnitude, frequency content, and root mean square of the acceleration signals were used to determine the type of physical activity (sitting, standing, walking, etc.) during normal daily life on Earth. The acceleration signal slope (jerk) was also calculated to assess whether these activities were sufficient to maintain bone mineral density. These measurements indicated that the changes in vertical acceleration experienced by our subjects during normal daily life were presumably sufficient to maintain bone mineral density. However, these changes might not be sufficient for postmenopausal women and astronauts during long-term exposure to weightlessness during spaceflight

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