IMU-based Assessment of Ankle Inversion Kinematics and Orthosis Migration

Ankle orthoses are used to prevent injuries during very fast inversion motions of the ankle. In order to provide proper protection, they must fit well and migrate as little as possible. Inertial measurement units (IMUs) have become a useful tool for accurate motion analysis and are frequently used for gait analysis. In the present paper, we examine orthosis migration and inversion kinematics of human ankles protected and unprotected by an orthosis. We present two test benches that were developed for these purposes, as well as a set of inertial sensor fusion methods that are used to determine kinematic parameters from the sensor readings. To avoid the common but restrictive assumption of a homogeneous magnetic field, we determine all motion parameters without the use of magnetometer readings. We conduct a measurement series to compare the proposed IMU-based method to alternative camera-based and goniometer-based methods. Using two different ankle orthosis prototypes, we demonstrate that the proposed IMU-based methods facilitate accurate assessment of orthosis migration and ankle inversion kinematics.