Evidence for the Efficacy of Commercially Available Wearable Biofeedback Gait Devices: Consumer-Centered Review.
Kedar K V Mate, Ahmed Abou-Sharkh, Maedeh Mansoubi and 7 others
PMID 37074771WHAT IT FOUND
Most commercially available wearable biofeedback gait devices have little published efficacy evidence.
Only 4 of 11 had small studies. Websites often rely on testimonials and claim benefits for groups not tested.
Key findings
01The review found 17 wearable biofeedback gait devices, and 11 were commercially available.
02Only 4 of the 11 commercially available devices had published evidence of efficacy, from 10 studies with sample sizes of 6 to 40.
03For 7 of the 11 commercially available devices, there was no searchable efficacy evidence, and almost all websites presented user reviews or testimonials.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The search method was pragmatic and not fully systematic, so it may have missed devices or evidence. The underlying studies were small, so their results may not generalize beyond the people tested. The underlying studies often did not report patient-centered outcomes or how missing data were handled. Several authors are cofounders of a company that sells one of the devices discussed.
Declared interests
KKVM, AA-S, HD, and NEM are cofounders of the start-up PhysioBiometrics Inc, with the Heel2Toe sensor as a flagship product.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the website claims or user testimonials as proof that these devices improve gait. Most commercially available devices had no searchable efficacy evidence, and the few studies were small.