Estimate of lower trunk angles in pathological gaits using gyroscope data.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Wearable Sensor Technology

Background:

• Trunk mobility impairment significantly impacts balance, posture, and gait in various pathologies.
• Assessing trunk rotations during abnormal gait offers insights into motor control deficits and aids rehabilitation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a novel method for estimating lower trunk angles during pathological overground walking.
• To assess the accuracy of the proposed method using wearable inertial sensors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a weighted Fourier linear combiner (WFLC) adaptive filter to estimate lower trunk angles.
• Measured angular velocities at the lower trunk using a wearable inertial sensor.
• Validated the method on 24 patients (13 hemiplegia, 11 Parkinson's disease) against a stereophotogrammetric system.

Main Results:

• The WFLC approach demonstrated high accuracy in estimating lateral bending, frontal bending, and axial rotations of the lower trunk.
• Analysis showed favorable root mean square error, correlation coefficient, and offset values.
• The method proved effective for pathological level walking conditions.

Conclusions:

• The WFLC adaptive filter is a highly accurate tool for estimating lower trunk angles during pathological gait.
• This method can enhance the understanding of motor control deficits in patients with mobility impairments.
• The findings support the use of this technique in clinical decision-making for patient rehabilitation.