Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025
07:24
Home-Based Monitor for Gait and Activity Analysis
Published on: August 8, 2019
7.2K
Objective activity tracking in spine surgery: a prospective feasibility study with a low-cost consumer grade wearable
Martin N Stienen1,2,3, Paymon G Rezaii4, Allen L Ho4
1Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Hospitals and Clinics, Stanford, California, USA. mnstienen@gmail.com.
Scientific Reports
|March 20, 2020
Summary
Low-cost wearable accelerometers objectively measured patient activity after spine surgery. Activity significantly decreased postoperatively, with limited recovery within one year, and correlated with depression, not PROMs.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are standard for assessing spinal degenerative disease disability.
- Wearable technology offers objective, real-time activity measurement opportunities.
- Assessing postoperative recovery objectively is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate patient activity levels using low-cost consumer-grade wearable accelerometers (LCAs) before and after cervical and lumbar spine surgery.
- To compare activity levels between different surgical groups and identify associated factors.
- To explore the relationship between objective activity measures, PROMs, and depression.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, observational study of 30 patients undergoing spine surgery.
- Utilized LCAs to track daily steps preoperatively and up to one year postoperatively.
- Statistical analysis to compare activity levels and identify correlations with patient demographics and clinical factors.
Main Results:
- Baseline activity averaged 5624 steps/day, decreasing by 71% in week 1 post-surgery.
- Activity remained significantly lower at weeks 2 (37%) and 4 (23%), with no return to baseline by year 1.
- Higher activity observed in cervical vs. lumbar surgery patients; activity correlated with age, sex, ethnicity, anesthesia risk, and fusion, but not PROMs.
- Strong correlation found between activity levels and depression scores.
Conclusions:
- LCAs provide valuable real-time, longitudinal data on patient mobility and functional recovery post-spine surgery.
- Recovery is prolonged, extending beyond 8 weeks, with only subtle improvements thereafter.
- Objective activity monitoring, particularly its correlation with depression, offers new insights into patient recovery beyond traditional PROMs.
