Abstract
Impaired walking increases injury risk during locomotion, including falls-related acute injuries and overuse damage to lower limb joints. Gait impairments seriously restrict voluntary, habitual engagement in injury prevention activities, such as recreational walking and exercise. There is, therefore, an urgent need for technology-based interventions for gait disorders that are cost effective, willingly taken-up, and provide immediate positive effects on walking. Gait control using shoe-insoles has potential as an effective population-based intervention, and new sensor technologies will enhance the effectiveness of these devices. Shoe-insole modifications include: (i) ankle joint support for falls prevention; (ii) shock absorption by utilising lower-resilience materials at the heel; (iii) improving reaction speed by stimulating cutaneous receptors; and (iv) preserving dynamic balance via foot centre of pressure control. Using sensor technology, such as in-shoe pressure measurement and motion capture systems, gait can be precisely monitored, allowing us to visualise how shoe-insoles change walking patterns. In addition, in-shoe systems, such as pressure monitoring and inertial sensors, can be incorporated into the insole to monitor gait in real-time. Inertial sensors coupled with in-shoe foot pressure sensors and global positioning systems (GPS) could be used to monitor spatiotemporal parameters in real-time. Real-time, online data management will enable ‘big-data’ applications to everyday gait control characteristics.
Highlights
Walking is a fundamental locomotor task essential to healthy, active living, but it is accompanied by injury risk, among the senior population
Walking is a continuum of gait cycles repeated thousands of times daily, and suboptimal features of the gait cycle can increase the probability of injury
One of their primary concerns was the methods employed for estimating balance, which is a more general problem arising from the lack of standardised biomechanical analysis methods to evaluate footwear effects on gait and balance
Summary
Walking is a fundamental locomotor task essential to healthy, active living, but it is accompanied by injury risk, among the senior population. Most high-grade insoles were produced using custom-moulding, which was designed to accommodate the individual’s foot shape and influence foot pressure distribution While this approach has provided a springboard, sensor technologies are available that can provide a highly detailed biomechanical analysis of foot pressure and gait patterns to considerably advance shoe-insole development. Three-dimensional (3D) motion capture systems (e.g., Optotrack, Vicon, Optitrack) can accurately model gait motions, which is useful for identifying suboptimal gait features By utilising this sensor technology, insole development can be undertaken to optimise gait control. The concept of a wireless gait measurement insole will be introduced and future directions in gait-related sensor technology outlined
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
