Highlights
- •The effect of recording context on smartphone-based gait analysis was investigated.
- •Spontaneous walks were slower with shorter strides versus when consciously initiated.
- •Users' ambulation patterns may differ based on the context of remote data collection.
Abstract
Background
Detailed understanding of impairments that underlie walking dysfunction through objective
measures is essential to diagnosis, evaluation and care planning. Despite significant
developments in motion tracking technologies, there is a dearth of research about
the influence of remote monitoring context on performance. The objective of this study
was to determine whether gait parameters collected by the OneStep smartphone application
differ based on the recording condition.
Methods
Retrospective repeated measures univariate analysis was performed on data extracted
based on detected activity, either spontaneous (background recording) or consciously
initiated (in app) walks, of 25 patients enrolled in a physical therapy program.
Findings
Across 7227 walking bouts, significant differences between the two paradigms in velocity
(g = 0.48), double support (g = 0.37), stride length (g = 0.37) and step length of
the affected side (g = 0.32) were revealed. Overall, the passively recorded walks
presented a less clinically favorable spatiotemporal pattern for each of these variables.
Interpretation
The recording context of walks that were used for analysis appears to significantly
affect the biomechanical output of the OneStep application. It is unclear whether
the disparity found would impact functional recovery of individuals undergoing rehabilitation
due to neurological or musculoskeletal disorder. Clinicians may consider this information
when incorporating remotely-acquired quantitative gait analysis and interpreting care
outcomes as part of therapeutic practice. Future work can further investigate the
behavioral and environmental factors contributing to how movement occurs in specific
clinical populations when monitored via mobile health systems.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 28, 2022
Accepted:
August 25,
2022
Received:
February 1,
2022
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
