Wearable Inertial Sensors for Gait Analysis in Adults with Osteoarthritis—A Scoping Review

Abstract

Our objective was to conduct a scoping review which summarizes the growing body of literature using wearable inertial sensors for gait analysis in lower limb osteoarthritis. We searched six databases using predetermined search terms which highlighted the broad areas of inertial sensors, gait, and osteoarthritis. Two authors independently conducted title and abstract reviews, followed by two authors independently completing full-text screenings. Study quality was also assessed by two independent raters and data were extracted by one reviewer in areas such as study design, osteoarthritis sample, protocols, and inertial sensor outcomes. A total of 72 articles were included, which studied the gait of 2159 adults with osteoarthritis (OA) using inertial sensors. The most common location of OA studied was the knee (n = 46), followed by the hip (n = 22), and the ankle (n = 7). The back (n = 41) and the shank (n = 40) were the most common placements for inertial sensors. The three most prevalent biomechanical outcomes studied were: mean spatiotemporal parameters (n = 45), segment or joint angles (n = 33), and linear acceleration magnitudes (n = 22). Our findings demonstrate exceptional growth in this field in the last 5 years. Nevertheless, there remains a need for more longitudinal study designs, patient-specific models, free-living assessments, and a push for “Code Reuse” to maximize the unique capabilities of these devices and ultimately improve how we diagnose and treat this debilitating disease.

Applications of Wearable Technology in a Real-Life Setting in People with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Scoping Review

“…Variability in the study designs reported represents the variety of the context that wearable technology was used in. Most studies recruited relatively young participants (62–66 years of age) and in the overweight/obese BMI category (28–32 kg/m 2 ), which is in line with a review by Kobsar et al [ 8 ], but questions the generalizability of the results to older populations with a more severe OA stage. We did not collect data on radiological severity of knee OA, which could have provided more insights regarding the generalizability of the results to people with a more severe knee OA diseases stage and thus can be a topic for future research.…”

“…In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a notable impact on primary care services which have had to adapt to different methods of service provision to limit the number of face-to-face appointments with patients [ 7 ]. Concurrently, there has been a rise in the research and development of wearable technology for healthcare applications for this population [ 8 , 9 ], which could facilitate the treatment and monitoring of patients outside of a clinical setting.…”

“…Kobsar et al conducted a scoping review examining use of wearable sensors in people with lower-limb OA but focused primarily on gait analysis, rather than a free-living assessment broadly [ 8 ]. Another scoping review investigated wearable sensors for the assessment of outcomes following knee joint replacement surgery [ 9 ].…”

Abnormal Gait Detection Using Wearable Hall-Effect Sensors

“…A representative subset of these wearables is summarized in Table 1. A more thorough review of wearable sensors for gait monitoring can be found in [15,27,28]. A vast majority of these wearables make use of a gyroscope (for measuring angular velocity and orientation), accelerometer, or inertial measurement unit (IMU-which combines a multi-axis gyroscope and accelerometer and may also include a magnetometer) and are worn on the foot (shoe).…”

Movement Quality Parameters During Gait Assessed by a Single Accelerometer in Subjects with Osteoarthritis and Following Total Joint Arthroplasty

“…Alternatively, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) bear the advantage of easy mounting to the patients without the restriction or complexity of a gait lab [12] and a scoping review by Kobsar et al (2020) demonstrated the increased popularity of using wearable technology for (mostly spatio-temporal) gait analysis in people with OA [13]. Alternatively, an IMU at the lower trunk level was used as an easy and unobtrusive method to assess gait and running biomechanics, both in healthy adults and patients with neuromuscular disorders [12].…”