Locomotion and cadence detection using a single trunk-fixed accelerometer: validity for children with cerebral palsy in daily life-like conditions.
Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu, Christopher J Newman, Lena Carcreff and 3 others
PMID 30717753WHAT IT FOUND
A single accelerometer on the chest or lower back accurately detects walking and estimates cadence in children with cerebral palsy.
Accuracy drops for GMFCS levels II-III, especially on the chest, and is most reliable for walking periods lasting at least 20 seconds.
Key findings
01The algorithm showed good performance across a wide range of gait patterns, from normal to pathological gait in children using walking aids.
02For children with GMFCS levels II-III, the chest sensor had lower precision (0.86) compared to the lower back sensor (0.93).
03Cadence estimation errors become stable and low only for locomotion periods lasting at least 20 seconds.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was too small to robustly assess performance in subgroups, particularly for children with GMFCS levels II-III who showed high variability in results. The study used a semi-structured protocol in a 'real-life like' environment, not actual daily life, so performance in true free-living conditions is unknown. For children with severe gait impairments, obtaining accurate reference data (ground truth) for steps is difficult, which may affect the validity of the comparison. Short walking periods (<20 seconds) had high errors, limiting the utility of the device for assessing brief functional movements.
Declared interests
None reported in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the device is equally accurate for all children with cerebral palsy. Performance drops for those with more severe impairments (GMFCS II-III), especially when the sensor is on the chest, and data from very short walking bouts (<20 seconds) is unreliable.