Clinical applications of sensors for human posture and movement analysis: a review

Measurement of human posture and movement is an important area of research in the bioengineering and rehabilitation fields. Various attempts have been initiated for different clinical application goals, such as diagnosis of pathological posture and movements, assessment of pre- and post-treatment efficacy and comparison of different treatment protocols. Image-based methods for measurements of human posture and movements have been developed, such as the photogrammetry, optoelectric technique and video analysis. However, it is found that these methods are complicated to set up, time-consuming to operate and could only be applied in laboratory environments. Electronic sensors and systems with advanced technology, namely accelerometer, gyroscope, flexible angular sensor, electromagnetic tracking system and sensing fabrics, have been developed and applied to solve the relevant application problems of the image-based methods. Nonetheless, other problems for using these electronic sensors emerged, including the environment influence and signal extraction difficulties. Further development of these electronic sensors and measurement methods could enhance their clinical applications in institutional as well as community levels. This article reviews the possible applications of these electronic sensors and systems, and precautions of their applications in analysis of human posture and movement. Such information would help researchers and clinicians in selecting and developing the most appropriate measurement techniques of using the electronic sensors for clinical applications of human posture and movement analysis.