A flexible wearable sensor for knee flexion assessment during gait.
Enrica Papi, Yen Nee Bo, Alison H McGregor
PMID 29674288WHAT IT FOUND
In 16 healthy adults walking at their usual speed, a knee sensor tracked peak flexion similarly to lab motion capture, with a typical difference of 1.2 degrees.
It still needs motion capture calibration for each person.
Key findings
01Mean peak knee flexion was 66.3° (±5.8°) by sensor and 66.9° (±5.1°) by motion capture at test 1; at test 2, they were 66.9° (±4.8°) and 66.2° (±4.6°).
02The mean RMSE was 1.2° (±0.4°) for both tests, and test-retest ICC values were above 0.8 for the sensor and 0.9 for motion capture.
03The sensor required a person-specific calibration using motion capture, and it gave inaccurate outputs at low knee angle ranges.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 16 healthy young adults, so it does not show how the sensor performs in patients with knee or neurological problems. It tested only peak knee flexion, not the full knee angle pattern through the gait cycle. The sensor required a motion capture system and a person-specific calibration for each participant. The sensor gave inaccurate outputs at low knee angle ranges. The walking tests were short, 6 m, at preferred speed in a laboratory setting.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude this sensor is ready for routine gait assessment in patients. It was tested only in 16 healthy adults, required motion capture calibration for each person, and gave inaccurate outputs at low knee angle ranges.