Validation and reliability testing of a new, fully integrated gait analysis insole

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Gait Analysis
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• A novel insole system, OpenGo, enables continuous measurement of kinetic and temporospatial gait parameters for up to four weeks.
• Previous methods for long-term gait analysis were limited, necessitating new tools for comprehensive assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the validity and reliability of the OpenGo insole system for gait analysis in healthy individuals.
• To determine if the OpenGo system provides accurate and consistent gait measurements over extended durations.

Main Methods:

• Gait data were collected from 12 healthy participants on a treadmill at two speeds, with six 3-minute trials per participant.
• Validation was performed against the Zebris FDM-S System, and within-test reliability was assessed using over 10,000 steps.
• Intraclass correlation coefficients and analysis of variance were employed to analyze gait parameters.

Main Results:

• The OpenGo system demonstrated high validity, with intraclass correlation coefficients >0.796 for temporospatial and kinetic gait parameters.
• No significant statistical differences were observed between insole and force plate measurements for force (p=0.19) and time (p=0.36).
• Exceptional reliability was found, with intraclass correlation coefficients >0.994 for all measured parameters.

Conclusions:

• The OpenGo insole system is a feasible tool for clinical trials requiring long-term, step-by-step, or grouped gait analysis.
• The system exhibits comparable validity and reliability to established stationary gait analysis tools.
• This technology offers a promising solution for continuous, unobtrusive gait monitoring in various research and clinical settings.