The COVID-19 pandemic and newer technological advances have triggered the implementation of digital solutions in healthcare for providing sustainable and sensible healthcare. The use of AI-powered wearable devices, telehealth, and virtual tools helps in monitoring patients in clinical settings as well as at home. Now, a recent study published in Arthritis Care & Research by the experts from the Boston University has concluded on the reliability of wearable sensors for evaluating gait and chair stand function at home in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA) .
The gait measurements and chair stand duration function were evaluated in 20 knee OA participants with three inertial sensors during at-home and in-lab visits. The researchers noted moderate to good intra-class correlation coefficient agreement (between 0.59 and 0.87)) between at-home and in-lab visits.
A 2017 study by Kobsar et al. has found that analysis of data from wearable gait sensor systems can help predicting the response to a muscle-strengthening intervention in a cohort of knee OA patients. The researchers have also noted thigh as the ideal location for the placement of an accelerometer during an exercise intervention.
The present study highlighted the reliability, safety, and acceptability of wearable sensors for detecting gait impairments in patients with OA under supervised settings. Researchers have urged the need for showing attention to several other metrices for studying gait in people with knee OA using wearable sensors. The adoption of wearable technology may also aid clinicians in making evidence-based decisions regarding optimal treatment strategy.
References:
- Rose MJ, Neogi T, Friscia B, Torabian KA, LaValley MP, Gheller M, Adamowicz L, Georgiev P, Viktrup L, Demanuele C, Wacnick P. Reliability of wearable sensors for assessing gait and chair stand function at home in people with knee osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. 2022 Apr 1;30:S18-9.
- Boekesteijn RJ, van Gerven J, Geurts AC, Smulders K. Objective gait assessment in individuals with knee osteoarthritis using inertial sensors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Gait & Posture. 2022 Sep 6.