Accelerometry based assessment of gait parameters in children (original) (raw)
Related papers
Gait Parameters in Healthy Preschool and School Children Assessed Using Wireless Inertial Sensor
Sensors, 2021
Background: The objective gait assessment in children has become more popular. Basis parameters for comparison during the examination are advisable. Objectives: The study aim was to investigate the typical gait parameters of healthy preschool and school children, using a wireless inertial sensor as the reference for atypical gait. The additional aim was to compare the specific gait parameters in the younger and older group of children. Methods: One hundred and sixty-one children’s gait parameters were evaluated by a G-Walk BTS G-SENSOR smart analyzer. The children were walking barefoot, at a self-selected speed, on a five-meter walkway, and they turned around and go back twice. Results: Age significantly influences most of the spatiotemporal parameters. The support phase becomes shorter with age. Accordingly, the swing phase becomes longer with age. The results also show that older children need shorter double support and have longer single support. Moreover, the pelvic tilt symmetr...
Motriz: Revista de Educação Física, 2020
The present study aimed to perform a literature review on the use of wearable inertial sensors for gait analysis of children in clinical practice. Methods: Searches were performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases for studies involving children or adolescents submitted to gait analysis with the use of wearable inertial sensors. No restrictions were imposed regarding the date of publication or language. Results: Three hundred twenty articles were retrieved, 14 of which met the eligibility criteria and were selected for the present systematic review. Two independent reviewers assessed the risk of bias and study quality using the ROBINS-I and AXIS scale. The studies included in the present review reported multiple outcomes of kinematic gait assessments calculated from the signals provided by the wearable sensors, performed in a hospital setting, outpatient clinic, and a familiar environment, with several types of pediatric conditions. Conclusion: The findings suggest that wearable sensors are effective for the evaluation of quantitative gait variables in children with different pediatric conditions, enabling an objective analysis that should prove useful in the processes of clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation. However, given the relatively small number of studies published on this topic, it is difficult to make strong recommendations regarding the most appropriate equipment, sensor placement, and outcomes for assessing gait in children.
Gait parameters database for young children: The influences of age and walking speed
Clinical biomechanics (Bristol, Avon), 2015
Reference databases are mandatory in orthopaedics because they enable the detection of gait abnormalities in patients. Such databases rarely include data on children under seven years of age. In young children, gait is principally influenced by age and walking speed. The influence of the age-speed interaction has not been well established. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to propose normative values for biomechanical gait parameters in children taking into account age, walking speed, and the age-speed interaction. Gait analyses were performed on 106 healthy children over a large age range (between one and seven years of age) during gait trials at a self-selected speed. From these gait cycles, biomechanical parameters, such as the joint angles and joint power of the lower limbs, were computed. Specific peak values and the times of occurrence of each biomechanical gait parameter were identified. Linear regressions are proposed for studying the influence of age, walking...
Gait & Posture, 2007
The purpose of this study was to develop a normative sample of temporal and spatial gait parameters for children (ages 1-10 years) using the GAITRite electronic walkway. Reliability of the GAITRite for assessing gait in children is similar to its reliability in adults. Normative temporal and spatial gait parameters have not been published using the GAITRite limiting clinicians and researchers ability to compare children to a large normative sample. A total of 438 children (1-10 years) completed two walks of at least three steps each at a self-selected speed. The mean velocity, cadence, step length, stride length, heel to heel base of support, double support, and toe in/out angle for each age group was calculated. Mean self selected velocity ranged from 82.05+/-25.28 to 133.63+/-15.44cm/s with the largest variability in subjects under 7 years of age. Cadence decreased with increasing age. Step length and stride length increased with age. Heel to heel base of support remained relatively constant between age groups with a mean of 8.77+/-2.74cm. Toe in/out angle was extremely variable for all age groups. Developmental patterns of temporal and spatial gait parameters assessed using the GAITRite are similar to those reported in previous studies. However, the mean values for each age group differ slightly from previous gait study results. The normative data presented in this study will be useful to clinicians and researchers using the GAITRite electronic walkway to evaluate clinical populations. Data derived from other gait assessment tools and methods may not be a valid comparison to the values calculated using the GAITRite.
Validity of the Actical accelerometer step count function in children
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2010
This study sought to assess criterion validity of the Actical monitor step-count function in children via ankle and waist placement, compared with observed video recordings. Children attending a summer program (12 boys, 7 girls, mean age = 9.6yrs, range 7-11yrs) wore two synchronized Acticals, attached at the ankle (AA) and waist (AW). Children performed treadmill walking at varying speeds, and two research assistants counted steps using observed video recordings (OVR). Results showed high correlations for AW-OVR (r = .927, p < .001) and AA-OVR (r = .854, p < .001), but AW and AA were significantly lower than OVR (t > 11.2, p < .001). AW provided better step estimates than AA for step rates above 130 steps per minute. In contrast, AA was superior to AW for slow walking, and measured more steps during the (nontreadmill) program time. Overall, the Actical monitor showed good evidence of validity as a measure of steps in children for population-based studies.
Instrumenting gait with an accelerometer: A system and algorithm examination
Medical Engineering & Physics, 2015
Gait is an important clinical assessment tool since changes in gait may reflect changes in general health. Measurement of gait is a complex process which has been restricted to the laboratory until relatively recently. The application of an inexpensive body worn sensor with appropriate gait algorithms (BWM) is an attractive alternative and offers the potential to assess gait in any setting. In this study we investigated the use of a low-cost BWM, compared to laboratory reference using a robust testing protocol in both younger and older adults. We observed that the BWM is a valid tool for estimating total step count and mean spatio-temporal gait characteristics however agreement for variability and asymmetry results was poor. We conducted a detailed investigation to explain the poor agreement between systems and determined it was due to inherent differences between the systems rather than inability of the sensor to measure the gait characteristics. The results highlight caution in the choice of reference system for validation studies. The BWM used in this study has the potential to gather longitudinal (real-world) spatio-temporal gait data that could be readily used in large lifestylebased intervention studies, but further refinement of the algorithm(s) is required.
A new anatomically based protocol for gait analysis in children
Gait & Posture, 2007
Human movement analysis still suffers from the weakness of the currently used protocols for data collection and reduction. Reliable data comparisons and precise functional assessment require anatomically based definitions of the reference axes and frames, and therefore careful identification and tracking of the landmarks. When impaired children are analysed, the marker-set and other measurement procedures have to be minimised to reduce the time of the experiment and ensure patient collaboration. A new protocol is proposed for the analysis of pelvis and lower limb motion obtained as a compromise between these two requirements.
Sensors
The use of stereophotogrammetry systems is challenging when targeting children’s gait analysis due to the time required and the need to keep physical markers in place. For this reason, marker-less photoelectric systems appear to be a solution for accurate and fast gait analysis in youth. The aim of this study is to validate a photoelectric system and its configurations (LED filter setting) on healthy children, comparing the kinematic gait parameters with those obtained from a three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry system. Twenty-seven healthy children were enrolled. Three LED filter settings for the OptoGait were compared to the BTS P6000. The analysis included the non-parametric 80% limits of agreement and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Additionally, normalised limits of agreement and bias (NLoAs and Nbias) were compared to the clinical experience of physical therapists (i.e., assuming an error lower than 5% is acceptable). ICCs showed excellent consistency for most ...
Journal of Motor …, 2011
Gait characteristics of a healthy adult population have been used to develop the Functional Ambulation Profile (FAP) score to evaluate gait in patients with neuromuscular or musculoskeletal involvement . Further technological progress allowed a more precise recording of walk parameters and propitiated the development of the Functional Ambulation Performance Score (FAPS). The authors aimed to explore the evolution of the FAPS in healthy children to determine what the lower limit of age would be to ensure reliability of this score. Participants were 32 children with normal development. A GAITRite R walkway was used to log the spatiotemporal parameters. Compared with values obtained in adults, the average FAPS was significantly lower for children under 12 years old. The interparticipant variability was particularly high for the younger children and decreased with age. Similar trends were observed regarding the intraparticipant variability. In conclusion, the authors observed that the FAPS is not suitable to compare the gait of different children younger than 12 years old. At least, the adult standards used to calculate FAPS would need to be modified if the score has to be applied to a pediatric population.