Development of a new instrument for evaluating leg motions using acceleration sensors (II)

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the average acceleration of elderly people during walking. Method The subject cohort comprised nine men and 21 women aged C63 years. Subjects walked a 10-m straight course (walk test) which required stepping over six obstacles (hurdle walk test). The average acceleration was calculated from the accelerograms. Functional reach test scores and the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) index of competence, fall risk assessment, fall experience within the last year, and carelessness were used as standard indices to estimate the dynamic postural movement and fall risk. Results The average acceleration during the walk test was not significantly correlated with the standard indices. The average accelerations at the lumbar and knee positions clustered with fall experience and carelessness, while those at the ankle and toe positions clustered with the hurdle walk test, TMIG index of competence, and fall risk assessment. Between the high-and low-risk groups classified by the conventional indices, there was a significant difference in the average acceleration at some measurement positions. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed the possibility to discriminate the high-risk group according to the standard indices with average acceleration. Conclusions The average acceleration during walking may be a composite index that encompasses standard indices and discriminate the high-risk group. As such, it may be a useful tool to estimate the dynamic postural movement and fall risk at all measurement positions.

Wearable Inertial Sensors for Fall Risk Assessment and Prediction in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Importantly, for 4 of these features the methods used to classify subjects as (non-)fallers were also inconsistent between studies: step length and cadence were pooled from [25] and [29], in which the classification methods were retrospective fall history and fall risk assessment tool (Tinetti scale), respectively. Gait speed was pooled from [25], [28] and [31], the latter adding prospective fall occurrence to the diversity of classification methods. Finally, harmonic ratio on the vertical direction was pooled from [29] and [31], combining subjects classified as fallers via two different methods as well.…”

“…The majority of studies (92%) included both men and women, except for one study which included only women [24]. Subjects were enrolled in a clinic as part of a larger clinical research project in 4 studies [23], [26], [27], [30], in a community center in 1 study [31], in a hospital's physiotherapy service in 1 study [22], and via letter sent to members of the community in 1 study [24]; details about the recruitment process were not provided in 6 studies [21], [25], [28], [29], [32], [33].…”

The Role and Importance of Using Sensor-Based Devices in Medical Rehabilitation: A Literature Review on the New Therapeutic Approaches

“…Numerous studies [62] have examined the utilisation of force sensors to generate pressure foot assessments. In a different publication, the authors described a portable and discrete system that could calculate ambulatory motion and balancing measurements, such as the deduced centre of mass and the dynamic extremity of equilibrium.…”

Measurement of Results of Functional Reach Test with Sensors: A Systematic Review

“…The authors of [46] used the accelerometer to measure different features, including mean, the direction of accelerometer sensor, back-front, right-left, and up-down in different regions, such as lumbar, knee, ankle, and toe. The results obtained are not correlated with standard indices.…”