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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
Validation of a commercial inertial sensor system for spatiotemporal gait measurements in children
Joel L Lanovaz1, Alison R Oates1, Tanner T Treen1
1College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, 87 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5B2, Canada.
Insights
Inertial sensor systems like MobilityLab show valid temporal gait measurements in children. A new correction equation improves stride length accuracy, making it a reliable tool for pediatric gait analysis.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanical analysis
- Pediatric gait research
- Wearable sensor technology
Background:
- Inertial sensor systems are increasingly used for adult gait analysis.
- Limited data exists on the validity of these systems for pediatric populations.
- Understanding child gait is crucial for diagnosing and managing developmental conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the MobilityLab inertial sensor system for spatiotemporal gait analysis in typically-developing children.
- To assess the accuracy of MobilityLab compared to 3D motion capture.
- To develop a correction method for potential biases in pediatric gait data.
Main Methods:
- 10 typically-developing children (3.0-8.3 years) participated.
- Simultaneous data collection using MobilityLab and 3D motion capture.
- Bland-Altman analysis to compare spatiotemporal parameters at self-selected and fast walking speeds.
Main Results:
- Temporal gait parameters showed good agreement between systems.
- MobilityLab exhibited a consistent bias in stride length measurement.
- A regression-based correction equation, using leg length, stride time, and shank range-of-motion, was developed.
- After correction, all spatiotemporal parameters demonstrated good agreement.
Conclusions:
- The MobilityLab system, with the developed correction, is a valid tool for analyzing gait in typically-developing children.
- The identified bias in stride length is likely related to pediatric-specific leg length and gait characteristics.
- Further research is recommended to evaluate the system's efficacy in children with pathological gait.
Abstract:
Although inertial sensor systems are becoming a popular tool for gait analysis in both healthy and pathological adult populations, there are currently no data on the validity of these systems for use with children. The purpose of this study was to validate spatiotemporal data from a commercial inertial sensor system (MobilityLab) in typically-developing children. Data from 10 children (5 males; 3.0-8.3 years, mean=5.1) were collected simultaneously from MobilityLab and 3D motion capture during gait at self-selected and fast walking speeds. Spatiotemporal parameters were compared between the two methods using a Bland-Altman method. The results indicate that, while the temporal gait measurements were similar between the two systems, MobilityLab demonstrated a consistent bias with respect to measurement of the spatial data (stride length). This error is likely due to differences in relative leg length and gait characteristics in children compared to the MobilityLab adult reference population used to develop the stride length algorithm. A regression-based equation was developed based on the current data to correct the MobilityLab stride length output. The correction was based on leg length, stride time, and shank range-of-motion, each of which were independently associated with stride length. Once the correction was applied, all of the spatiotemporal parameters evaluated showed good agreement. The results of this study indicate that MobilityLab is a valid tool for gait analysis in typically-developing children. Further research is needed to determine the efficacy of this system for use in children suffering from pathologies that impact gait mechanics.
