Are wearable insoles a validated tool for quantifying transfemoral amputee gait asymmetry (original) (raw)
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Clinical Biomechanics, 2020
Background: People with lower limb amputation often walk with asymmetrical gait patterns potentially leading to long-term health problems, ultimately affecting their quality of life. The ability to discreetly detect and quantify the movement of bilateral thighs and shanks using wearable sensor technology can provide additional insight into how a person walks with a lower limb prosthesis. This study investigated segmental symmetry and segmental repeatability of people with unilateral lower limb amputation, examining performance of the prosthetic and intact limbs. Methods: Gyroscope signals were recorded from four inertial measurement units worn on bilateral lower limb segments of subjects with unilateral lower limb amputation during the 10-m walk test. Raw angular velocity signals were processed using dynamic time warping and application of algorithms resulting in symmetry measures comparing similarity of prosthetic to intact limb strides, and repeatability measures comparing movement of one limb to its consecutive strides. Findings: Biomechanical differences in performance of the prosthetic and intact limb segments were detected with the segmental symmetry and segmental repeatability measures in 128 subjects. More asymmetries and less consistent movements of the lower limbs were exhibited by subjects with transfemoral amputation versus transtibial amputation (p < .004, Cohen's d = 0.65-1.1). Interpretation: Sensor-based measures of segmental symmetry and segmental repeatability were found to be reliable in detecting discreet differences in movement of the prosthetic versus intact lower limbs in amputee subjects. These measures provide a convenient tool for enhanced prosthetic gait analysis with the potential to focus rehabilitative and prosthetic interventions.
Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research (JSIR), 2020
There are different cycles involved in the gait. In order to detect the pathological gait, it is necessary to understand the normal gait. During walk, various parameters were calculated to do analysis for providing further gait training. The aim of this study is to do the investigation and precise identification of deviation in gait pattern. Experimental study is done on thirty-one test subjects suffering from gait impairment. Further, data analysis on subjects is done to measure their gait parameters for usability in their walking aids. Favorable measuring parametric results were obtained and found satisfactory on comparing with standard walking system. The system is capable of determining the standard of care for the assessment and treatment of patients with balance, dizziness and mobility problems.
JPO Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, 2010
Asymmetric gait, commonly referred to as "limping," is frequently seen in individuals with a variety of musculoskeletal and neurologic conditions. Asymmetric gait impacts the metabolic cost of ambulation and the development of osteoarthritis and also affects the cosmetic appearance of gait. This is especially true for individuals with lower limb amputations who ambulate with prosthetic limbs. The Lower Extremity Ambulation Feedback System (LEAFS) is a shoe-insert device that uses force sensors to evaluate asymmetries in gait and provide auditory feedback when an asymmetric gait threshold is reached. The aim of this study was to validate the ability of the LEAFS to accurately measure stance time and detect asymmetries in stance time. A prospective, consecutive case series study design was used. The study population consisted of individuals with lower limb amputations at the transtibial level. Data were collected simultaneously using both the LEAFS and a force plate and markers on the foot in a clinical motion analysis laboratory as subjects ambulated at their self-selected walking speed. The methods comparison approach of Bland and Altman was used to validate the measurement of stance time, and two-sample t-tests were used to validate the detection of asymmetry. The LEAFS determined the stance time with a bias error of Ϫ10.4 Ϯ 37.2 ms, when compared with the clinical motion laboratory, and detected the same asymmetries in stance time for subjects with unilateral amputation (a shorter stance time on the limb with the prosthetic, when compared with the intact limb) as the clinical motion laboratory.
Journal of biomechanics, 2017
Lower extremity joint moment magnitudes during swing are dependent on the inertial properties of the prosthesis and residual limb of individuals with transtibial amputation (TTA). Often, intact limb inertial properties (INTACT) are used for prosthetic limb values in an inverse dynamics model even though these values overestimate the amputated limb's inertial properties. The purpose of this study was to use subject-specific (SPECIFIC) measures of prosthesis inertial properties to generate a general model (GENERAL) for estimating TTA prosthesis inertial properties. Subject-specific mass, center of mass, and moment of inertia were determined for the shank and foot segments of the prosthesis (n=11) using an oscillation technique and reaction board. The GENERAL model was derived from the means of the SPECIFIC model. Mass and segment lengths are required GENERAL model inputs. Comparisons of segment inertial properties and joint moments during walking were made using three inertial mod...
Leg Laterality in Bilateral Trans-Tibial Amputees, A Case Study using Prosthesis-Integrated Sensors
Bilateral leg amputation is obviously a severe detriment of physical integrity. However, at least in the case of bilateral trans-tibial amputation, rehabilitation efforts are often promising, and many patients succeed in learning to use prostheses. Due to the relatively small population size, literature on gait biomechanics for these patients is scarce, and prosthetic fitting practice is based on tradition and empiric rules of thumb. One question that is frequently encountered during fitting is whether there is a disparity in leg strength and controllability, and if so, which one of the legs is the favored one. This may have implications for the selection and adjustment of prosthetic parts, as well as for the prescription of physical therapy, and possibly recommended assistive devices. Prosthesisintegrated sensors suggest themselves as efficient assessment tools, as they can be installed in both legs, and thus allow continuous and un-obstructive data collection during various activities . Simple pair-wise comparison of parameters between legs can then help answer the research question.