Variability-based assessment of assisted gait using a multi-sensor instrumented cane.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Human Movement Science

Background:

• Clinical understanding of walking biomechanics with assistive canes is limited.
• Proper cane use is often suboptimal, despite known benefits.
• There is a need for tools to monitor cane use and gait performance in real-world settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of an instrumented cane on gait parameters.
• To evaluate the utility of gait variability metrics for assessing cane use.
• To explore the potential of instrumented canes for automated gait analysis.

Main Methods:

• 15 healthy individuals participated in the study.
• Participants walked under three conditions: normal, simulated plantar flexion, and simulated dorsiflexion.
• An instrumented cane with inertial sensors was used to collect gait data.

Main Results:

• Gait speed and stride interval alone are insufficient to detect changes in gait due to cane use or simulated conditions.
• Gait variability measures, specifically the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exponent, can differentiate between walking changes and cane use modifications.
• Mean-based gait features cannot distinguish these changes.

Conclusions:

• Automated gait analysis using instrumented canes is feasible.
• Gait variability analysis provides a more comprehensive understanding of walking performance than speed-related metrics.
• The detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exponent is a promising metric for monitoring cane use and gait adaptations.