Use of wearable inertial sensors for the assessment of spatiotemporal gait variables in children: A systematic review

Paulo Roberto Fonseca Junior,Cláudia Santos Oliveira,Fabiano Politti,Renata Calhes Franco De Moura

doi:10.1590/s1980-6574202000030139

Abstract

Abstract Aim: The present study aimed to perform a literature review on the use of wearable inertial sensors for gait analysis of children in clinical practice. Methods: Searches were performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and PEDro databases for studies involving children or adolescents submitted to gait analysis with the use of wearable inertial sensors. No restrictions were imposed regarding the date of publication or language. Results: Three hundred twenty articles were retrieved, 14 of which met the eligibility criteria and were selected for the present systematic review. Two independent reviewers assessed the risk of bias and study quality using the ROBINS-I and AXIS scale. The studies included in the present review reported multiple outcomes of kinematic gait assessments calculated from the signals provided by the wearable sensors, performed in a hospital setting, outpatient clinic, and a familiar environment, with several types of pediatric conditions. Conclusion: The findings suggest that wearable sensors are effective for the evaluation of quantitative gait variables in children with different pediatric conditions, enabling an objective analysis that should prove useful in the processes of clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation. However, given the relatively small number of studies published on this topic, it is difficult to make strong recommendations regarding the most appropriate equipment, sensor placement, and outcomes for assessing gait in children.

Highlights

Gait analysis is the systematic quantitative measurement, description, and assessment of human locomotion and plays an important role in clinical practice[1]
Discrepant results have been reported with regard to the underlying kinetics, providing support for the hypothesis that children lack the neuromuscular maturity for the production of an adult-like gait pattern[3]
Three hundred twenty articles were retrieved from the databases and other sources searched

Summary

Introduction

Gait analysis is the systematic quantitative measurement, description, and assessment of human locomotion and plays an important role in clinical practice[1]. Gold standard gait analysis methods successfully developed and applied in several gait laboratories involve a multi-camera motion capture system and force plate with the capability of measuring ground-reaction forces[4,5,6]. While these gait analysis methods provide detailed information on kinematic and kinetic variables, the data acquisition systems are limited to laboratory use and require expensive equipment with lengthy setup and post-processing times[7,8]

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion