Continuous similarity analysis in patient populations.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics and Movement Analysis
• Clinical Assessment
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Decreased movement symmetry correlates with increased injury risk and disease progression.
• Existing continuous data analysis methods are often unsuitable for pathological movement patterns or lack clinical applicability.
• There is a need for methods to quantify movement symmetry and quality in a clinically relevant manner.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for describing symmetry and movement quality in continuous time-series data.
• To create scores that can be easily incorporated into clinical practice for patient evaluation.
• To assess the ability of developed scores to differentiate between healthy and patient populations.

Main Methods:

• Developed two scores: symmetry score (SS) for inter-limb similarity and closeness-to-healthy score (CTHS) for similarity to controls.
• Utilized kinetic and kinematic data from end-stage unilateral ankle arthritis (A-OA) and anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) patient groups, along with healthy controls.
• Employed unpaired t-tests, Cohen's D effect sizes, and receiver-operating-curve analyses to evaluate group differences and predictive capabilities.

Main Results:

• Patients demonstrated significantly worse SS compared to healthy controls.
• A-OA patients exhibited worse CTHS compared to their healthy counterparts.
• SS showed strong predictive capability, while CTHS's predictive power varied across groups.

Conclusions:

• The developed SS and CTHS offer a clinically applicable method for assessing movement quality and symmetry.
• These scores can aid in evaluating baseline movement, tracking disease progression, and monitoring recovery.
• Results support the use of SS and CTHS in clinical decision-making for surgical interventions and rehabilitation efficacy.