Abstract
Mobility has been one of the most impacted aspects of human life due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Home confinement, the lack of access to physical rehabilitation, and prolonged immobilization of COVID-19-positive patients within hospitals are three major factors that affected the mobility of the general population world-wide. Balance is one key indicator to monitor the possible movement disorders that may arise both during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the coming future post-COVID-19. A systematic quantification of the balance performance in the general population is essential for preventing the appearance and progression of certain diseases (e.g., cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and musculoskeletal), as well as for assessing the therapeutic outcomes of prescribed physical exercises for elderly and pathological patients. Current research on clinical exercises and associated outcome measures of balance is still far from reaching a consensus on a “golden standard” practice. Moreover, patients are often reluctant or unable to follow prescribed exercises, because of overcrowded facilities, lack of reliable and safe transportation, or stay-at-home orders due to the current pandemic. A novel balance assessment methodology, in combination with a home-care technology, can overcome these limitations. This paper presents a computational framework for the in-home quantitative assessment of balance control skills. Novel outcome measures of balance performance are implemented in the design of rehabilitation exercises with customized and quantifiable training goals. Using this framework in conjunction with a portable technology, physicians can treat and diagnose patients remotely, with reduced time and costs and a highly customized approach. The methodology proposed in this research can support the development of innovative technologies for smart and connected home-care solutions for physical therapy rehabilitation.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders put in place have caused a general reduction in physical mobility among countries across the globe (World Health Organization, 2020a; World Health Organization, 2020b; World Health Organization, 2020c)
The intersections of the boundary of balance (BoB) with the edges of the base of support and the boundary margins in both anterior and posterior directions identify three partitions of the balanced region (Figure 2): 1) The portion of the balanced region characterized by a center of mass (COM) ground projection within the edges of the base of support (Mummolo et al, 2013) is the set of statically balanced states: a state in this partition can be driven to a static equilibrium configuration by controlling the center of pressure (COP) position within the given base of support and/or through the regulation of whole-body linear and angular momentum
The novel paradigm for simultaneous balance assessment and training is demonstrated with the results of balanced regions and balance performance measures calculated for different models of human standing posture
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay-at-home orders put in place have caused a general reduction in physical mobility among countries across the globe (World Health Organization, 2020a; World Health Organization, 2020b; World Health Organization, 2020c). The pandemic has made it difficult for the pathological populations needing regular physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions to receive treatment This can cause a deterioration of physical health in low-mobility patients, leading them to be more prone to falls and injuries (Visser et al, 2008; Levinger et al, 2017; Gandolfi et al, 2018). Sedentarism due to stay-at-home orders, lack of access to proper physical therapy, and prolonged immobilization during COVID-19-positive hospitalizations are the three main factors causing reduced mobility of various populations during COVID19. These circumstances will continue to impact mobility in the medium/long term after the pandemic and motivate the need for alternative solutions for the delivery of physical therapy and rehabilitation in remote settings
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