Mobility Rehab visual feedback system for gait rehabilitation in older adults.
Carla Silva-Batista, Graham Harker, Rodrigo Vitorio and 9 others
PMID 37875971WHAT IT FOUND
Adding real-time gait feedback to physical therapy did not improve patients' confidence in their mobility.
The primary outcome was null, though the feedback group showed small gains in walking speed and arm swing.
Key findings
01Neither standard physical therapy nor physical therapy with the Mobility Rehab system improved the primary outcome of patient-reported mobility confidence.
02Physical therapy with the Mobility Rehab system showed small, significant improvements in gait speed during both comfortable and fast walking.
03Physical therapy with the Mobility Rehab system showed small, significant improvements in arm swing range-of-motion, whereas standard physical therapy alone did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was severely underpowered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 28 participants analyzed compared to the planned 200. Participants were not randomly assigned; they were allocated based on therapist availability, which introduces selection bias. The group sizes were highly imbalanced, with only 6 participants in the standard physical therapy control group. The lack of blinding and the nature of the intervention (visual feedback) means participants knew which treatment they received. Follow-up was immediate post-intervention, so long-term retention of any gait improvements is unknown.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural and Non-U.S. Gov't). The system uses Opal sensors from APDM Wearable Technologies, a Clario company.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the significant improvements in gait speed and arm swing as evidence of superior efficacy for the Mobility Rehab system. The primary outcome of patient confidence was null, the study was not randomized, and the control group contained only six participants.