Center of mass with the use of smartphone during walking in healthy individuals.
Bora An, Youngkeun Woo
PMID 28878476WHAT IT FOUND
In 48 healthy adults, a smartphone attached at the fifth lumbar vertebra gave consistent vertical and lateral center-of-mass readings across three walking trials.
Men and women differed vertically. This suggests feasibility, not proven patient use.
Key findings
01Across three walking trials, vertical and lateral center-of-mass displacement did not differ significantly (p>0.05).
02Vertical center-of-mass displacement differed between men and women (p<0.05), while lateral displacement did not (p>0.05).
03The app measured mean vertical center-of-mass displacement as 2.98 ± 0.62 cm and lateral displacement as 1.81 ± 0.68 cm.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only healthy adults were tested, so the results may not apply to patients with walking problems. There was no comparison with another center-of-mass measurement device and no patient data, so accuracy was not shown. The study showed consistency across three trials, not that the phone measured the true center of mass. The phone was placed at the fifth lumbar vertebra, and the authors note that different measuring points can change values. The sample was mostly female (13 men, 35 women).
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the smartphone app is valid for patients or better than standard gait measurement. It was tested only in 48 healthy adults, had no technical support for the data, and was not compared with patient data or another instrument.