Digital biomechanical assessment of gait in patients with peripheral neuropathies.
Clara Tejada-Illa, Jordi Pegueroles, Mireia Claramunt-Molet and 15 others
PMID 40653470WHAT IT FOUND
Wearable sensors showed clear gait differences from controls in adults with peripheral neuropathies, including slower shorter steps and altered foot pressure.
Foot signals also changed with muscle strength score changes, but best and worst disability questionnaire changes were not detected.
Key findings
01Patients with ataxia or steppage gait had sensor features that differed from controls, and greater severity was associated with slower, shorter, less frequent steps and longer double support.
02Of 219 biomechanical features extracted, 182 were associated with any clinical impairment or disability score or the 2-minute walking test.
03When best and worst strength score (MRCss) assessments were compared, 16 biomechanical features differed, mainly foot features; no biomechanical feature differed when best and worst disability questionnaire (iRODS) assessments were compared.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
This was a single-centre proof-of-concept study, not a multicentre validation trial or a treatment trial. The patient group mixed several peripheral neuropathy types, so the findings may not apply to a specific neuropathy subtype. The first analysis excluded patients with normal gait and compared only obvious ataxia or steppage patterns with controls, so it does not show how well the system detects subtle gait changes. The longitudinal analysis included only patients with predefined score changes, and sensor features did not change when best and worst disability questionnaire assessments were compared. The technology requires placing and synchronising several sensors and interpreting large amounts of biomechanical data, which may be too time-consuming for routine clinic. The study included adults only, so its findings do not apply to children with peripheral neuropathies.
Declared interests
Funding came from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, GBS/CIDP Foundation International, CIBERER and Fundació la Marató de TV3. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this wearable system is a validated clinical test for peripheral neuropathy. It was an observational proof-of-concept study, and it did not show that sensor changes alone improve care or can replace clinical assessment.