Is This the Real Life, or Is This Just Laboratory? A Scoping Review of IMU-Based Running Gait Analysis

Abstract

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) can be used to monitor running biomechanics in real-world settings, but IMUs are often used within a laboratory. The purpose of this scoping review was to describe how IMUs are used to record running biomechanics in both laboratory and real-world conditions. We included peer-reviewed journal articles that used IMUs to assess gait quality during running. We extracted data on running conditions (indoor/outdoor, surface, speed, and distance), device type and location, metrics, participants, and purpose and study design. A total of 231 studies were included. Most (72%) studies were conducted indoors; and in 67% of all studies, the analyzed distance was only one step or stride or <200 m. The most common device type and location combination was a triaxial accelerometer on the shank (18% of device and location combinations). The most common analyzed metric was vertical/axial magnitude, which was reported in 64% of all studies. Most studies (56%) included recreational runners. For the past 20 years, studies using IMUs to record running biomechanics have mainly been conducted indoors, on a treadmill, at prescribed speeds, and over small distances. We suggest that future studies should move out of the lab to less controlled and more real-world environments.

Gait Synergy Analysis and Modeling on Amputees and Stroke Patients for Lower Limb Assistive Devices

“…All subjects wore an IMU-based wearable motion capture system (Perception Neuron, 1.0, Noitom, Beijing, China). The IMU-based system can measure joint angle for gait analysis [33][34][35]. The wearable motion capture system is convenient, with acceptable accuracy as compared to the traditional optical motion capture system [36,37].…”

Examination of a foot mounted IMU-based methodology for a running gait assessment

“…However, the use of a 3D motion tracking system demonstrates obvious pragmatic issues through high costs, an intrusive nature (i.e., users must be fitted with a range of anatomical markers), as well as the need for technical expertise (Schlagenhauf et al, 2018 ; Sharma et al, 2019 ), limiting the use of technology in low-resource, real-world settings. As such, wearable inertial measurement units (IMU) have seen a recent usage uptake in running gait assessment by providing a low-cost apparatus capable of detecting intricate running gait outcomes (Young et al, 2020 ; Benson et al, 2022 ). Typically, IMUs contain a combination of inertial accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to provide an understanding of acceleration and rotation (Ahmad et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Typically, IMUs contain a combination of inertial accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to provide an understanding of acceleration and rotation (Ahmad et al, 2013 ). IMUs can measure a wide range of running biomechanics, including gait phase estimation (Sui et al, 2020 ; Young et al, 2021 ), impact analysis (Tan et al, 2020 ), flexion angles (Cooper et al, 2009 ; Nagahara et al, 2020 ), foot orientation (Falbriard et al, 2020 ), and asymmetry measures (Ueberschär et al, 2019 ; Benson et al, 2022 ). Crucially, their use enables reproducible, objective gait outcomes that can enable standardization within the domain, especially in opposition to traditional visual assessments (Higginson, 2009 ; Chew et al, 2018 ; Benson et al, 2022 ).…”

“…IMUs can measure a wide range of running biomechanics, including gait phase estimation (Sui et al, 2020 ; Young et al, 2021 ), impact analysis (Tan et al, 2020 ), flexion angles (Cooper et al, 2009 ; Nagahara et al, 2020 ), foot orientation (Falbriard et al, 2020 ), and asymmetry measures (Ueberschär et al, 2019 ; Benson et al, 2022 ). Crucially, their use enables reproducible, objective gait outcomes that can enable standardization within the domain, especially in opposition to traditional visual assessments (Higginson, 2009 ; Chew et al, 2018 ; Benson et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, with a small form factor and relatively low cost, IMUs can measure beyond the lab (Strohrmann et al, 2011 ; Benson et al, 2022 ), which can help understand running gait of varying lengths in a variety of environments, from short capture sessions (e.g., sprinting Schmidt et al, 2016 ) under observation in low-resource settings to prolonged periods over the ground, e.g., marathons (Meyer et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Crucially, their use enables reproducible, objective gait outcomes that can enable standardization within the domain, especially in opposition to traditional visual assessments (Higginson, 2009 ; Chew et al, 2018 ; Benson et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, with a small form factor and relatively low cost, IMUs can measure beyond the lab (Strohrmann et al, 2011 ; Benson et al, 2022 ), which can help understand running gait of varying lengths in a variety of environments, from short capture sessions (e.g., sprinting Schmidt et al, 2016 ) under observation in low-resource settings to prolonged periods over the ground, e.g., marathons (Meyer et al, 2021 ).…”