Effectiveness of Self-Monitoring Approach Using Fitness Trackers to Improve Walking Ability in Rehabilitation Settings: A Systematic Review.
Eri Otaka, Kazuyo Oguchi, Izumi Kondo and 1 others
PMID 36188816WHAT IT FOUND
Adding fitness trackers to usual rehabilitation showed little to no improvement in walking ability across most conditions.
Stable COPD patients saw a small increase in walking distance that was still below the threshold for clinical importance. Trackers alone are not a fix for gait deficits.
Key findings
01Across the included studies, there was little evidence that adding fitness trackers to rehabilitation improved walking ability.
02The only consistent positive finding was in stable COPD, but the improvement in walking distance was smaller than the minimal clinically important difference.
03While trackers increased walking activity in some groups, this did not translate to significant improvements in walking ability for stroke or Parkinson's disease.
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
Most studies had a high risk of bias because participants and therapists could not be blinded to the use of the trackers. The review included a heterogeneous mix of diseases and settings, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions for any single condition. Only 11 studies met the strict inclusion criteria, and several had small sample sizes. The review was limited to English-language publications.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest. Funding sources included the National Institutes of Health, various government agencies in Japan, Korea, and the Netherlands, and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that because a fitness tracker increases a patient's step count, it will improve their walking ability. This review found that while activity levels often rose, this did not consistently lead to significant or clinically important improvements in gait speed or endurance.