Assessment of Postural Sway in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis Using a Novel Wearable Inertial Sensor

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Technology

Background:

• Balance impairment is a significant challenge for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS).
• Objective balance assessment is often hindered by the need for specialized clinical expertise and expensive equipment.
• Development of accessible, objective balance assessment tools is crucial for MS patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the concurrent validity of a novel wireless, skin-mounted inertial sensor system (BioStamp®) for measuring postural sway in individuals with MS.
• To compare the measurement agreement of the BioStamp sensor against gold-standard tools: a force plate and an externally validated inertial sensor (Xsens).

Main Methods:

• 39 individuals with MS (mild and severe impairment) and 15 healthy controls participated.
• Participants performed quiet standing trials under various conditions (eyes open/closed, firm/foam surface).
• Postural sway was simultaneously recorded using a force plate and BioStamp/Xsens accelerometers mounted on the L5 vertebra.

Main Results:

• Excellent agreement (ICC >0.9) was found between BioStamp and Xsens sensor-derived sway metrics across all conditions and groups.
• Good to excellent correlations (r >0.7) were observed between the devices for all sway metrics and conditions.
• BioStamp sensor's acceleration-based sway metrics effectively differentiated individuals with poor balance from healthy controls, comparable to force plate data.

Conclusions:

• The novel BioStamp wireless inertial sensor system demonstrates validity and objectivity for assessing postural sway in individuals with MS.
• This lightweight, portable sensor offers a practical solution to overcome barriers in objective balance assessment.
• The BioStamp sensor holds potential for effectively tracking postural performance changes in MS patients.