Can wearable real-time biofeedback gait training devices improve gait speed, balance, functional mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals post-stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Feng-Yi Wang, Yang Xu, Laura Yu-Yan Luo and 9 others
PMID 41457231WHAT IT FOUND
Wearable biofeedback gait training improved walking speed, balance, and mobility compared to standard care, but showed no benefit for daily living activities.
Evidence quality is low to moderate, with no significant effect found for the most common auditory feedback setups.
Key findings
01Biofeedback training significantly improved gait speed, balance (Berg Balance Scale), and functional mobility (Timed Up and Go) compared to control groups.
02There was no significant difference between biofeedback and conventional training for activities of daily living as measured by the Modified Barthel Index.
03While overall gait speed improved, the specific subgroup using pressure sensors with auditory feedback did not show a statistically significant improvement in gait speed.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
All included studies had a high risk of bias because participants and therapists could not be blinded to the intervention. Sample sizes were small (total 304 participants), leading to imprecise estimates. There was significant heterogeneity in intervention duration, frequency, and sensor types, making it difficult to generalize which specific device or protocol works best. The overall positive effect on gait speed was largely driven by one study using visual feedback; the common auditory feedback subgroup was not significant.
Declared interests
Funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the Research Institute for Smart Ageing, the Science & Technology Department of Sichuan Province, and the Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine. No specific commercial conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume all biofeedback devices are equally effective. The overall positive result for gait speed was driven by a single study using visual feedback, while the more common auditory feedback setups did not show a statistically significant benefit in the subgroup analysis.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →