Gait speed is a powerful clinical marker for mobility impairment in patients suffering from neurological disorders. However, assessment of gait speed in coordination with delivery of comprehensive care is usually constrained to clinical environments and is often limited due to mounting demands on the availability of trained clinical staff. These limitations in assessment design could give rise to poor ecological validity and limited ability to tailor interventions to individual patients. Recent advances in wearable sensor technologies have fostered the development of new methods for monitoring parameters that characterize mobility impairment, such as gait speed, outside the clinic, and therefore address many of the limitations associated with clinical assessments. However, these methods are often validated using normal gait patterns; and extending their utility to subjects with gait impairments continues to be a challenge. In this paper, we present a machine learning method for estimating gait speed using a configurable array of skin-mounted, conformal accelerometers. We establish the accuracy of this technique on treadmill walking data from subjects with normal gait patterns and subjects with multiple sclerosis-induced gait impairments. For subjects with normal gait, the best performing model systematically overestimates speed by only 0.01 m/s, detects changes in speed to within less than 1%, and achieves a root-mean-square-error of 0.12 m/s. Extending these models trained on normal gait to subjects with gait impairments yields only minor changes in model performance. For example, for subjects with gait impairments, the best performing model systematically overestimates speed by 0.01 m/s, quantifies changes in speed to within 1%, and achieves a root-mean-square-error of 0.14 m/s. Additional analyses demonstrate that there is no correlation between gait speed estimation error and impairment severity, and that the estimated speeds maintain the clinical significance of ground truth speed in this population. These results support the use of wearable accelerometer arrays for estimating walking speed in normal subjects and their extension to MS patient cohorts with gait impairment.

BackgroundMobility impairment is common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and there is a need to assess mobility in remote settings. Here, we apply a novel wireless, skin-mounted, and conformal inertial sensor (BioStampRC, MC10 Inc.) to examine gait characteristics of PwMS under controlled conditions. We determine the accuracy and precision of BioStampRC in measuring gait kinematics by comparing to contemporary research-grade measurement devices.MethodsA total of 45 PwMS, who presented with diverse walking impairment (Mild MS = 15, Moderate MS = 15, Severe MS = 15), and 15 healthy control subjects participated in the study. Participants completed a series of clinical walking tests. During the tests participants were instrumented with BioStampRC and MTx (Xsens, Inc.) sensors on their shanks, as well as an activity monitor GT3X (Actigraph, Inc.) on their non-dominant hip. Shank angular velocity was simultaneously measured with the inertial sensors. Step number and temporal gait parameters were calculated from the data recorded by each sensor. Visual inspection and the MTx served as the reference standards for computing the step number and temporal parameters, respectively. Accuracy (error) and precision (variance of error) was assessed based on absolute and relative metrics. Temporal parameters were compared across groups using ANOVA.ResultsMean accuracy±precision for the BioStampRC was 2±2 steps error for step number, 6±9ms error for stride time and 6±7ms error for step time (0.6–2.6% relative error). Swing time had the least accuracy±precision (25±19ms error, 5±4% relative error) among the parameters. GT3X had the least accuracy±precision (8±14% relative error) in step number estimate among the devices. Both MTx and BioStampRC detected significantly distinct gait characteristics between PwMS with different disability levels (p<0.01).ConclusionBioStampRC sensors accurately and precisely measure gait parameters in PwMS across diverse walking impairment levels and detected differences in gait characteristics by disability level in PwMS. This technology has the potential to provide granular monitoring of gait both inside and outside the clinic.

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Balance impairment is common in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, objective assessment of balance usually requires clinical expertise and/or the use of expensive and obtrusive measuring equipment. These barriers to the objective assessment of balance may be overcome with the development of a lightweight inertial sensor system. In this study, we examined the concurrent validity of a novel wireless, skin-mounted inertial sensor system (BioStamp®, MC10 Inc.) to measure postural sway in individuals with MS by comparing measurement agreement between this novel sensor and gold standard measurement tools (force plate and externally validated inertial sensor). A total of 39 individuals with MS and 15 healthy controls participated in the study. Participants with MS were divided into groups based on the amount of impairment (MS_Mild: EDSS 2–4, n = 19; MS_Severe: EDSS ≥6, n = 20). The balance assessment consisted of two 30-s quiet standing trials in each of three conditions: eyes open/firm surface, eyes closed/firm surface, and eyes open/foam surface. For each trial, postural sway was recorded with a force plate (Bertec) and simultaneously using two accelerometers (BioStamp and Xsens) mounted on the participant’s posterior trunk at L5. Sway metrics (sway area, sway path length, root mean square amplitude, mean velocity, JERK, and total power) were derived to compare the measurement agreement among the measurement devices. Excellent agreement (intraclass correlation coefficients >0.9) between sway metrics derived from the BioStamp and the MTx sensors were observed across all conditions and groups. Good to excellent correlations (r >0.7) between devices were observed in all sway metrics and conditions. Additionally, the acceleration sway metrics were nearly as effective as the force plate sway metrics in differentiating individuals with poor balance from healthy controls. Overall, the BioStamp sensor is a valid and objective measurement tool for postural sway assessment. This novel, lightweight and portable sensor may offer unique advantages in tracking patient’s postural performance.

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