Feasibility of a smartphone-based balance assessment system for subjects with chronic stroke

Validity of an android device for assessing mobility in people with chronic stroke and hemiparesis: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Incorporating instrument measurements into clinical assessments can improve the accuracy of results when assessing mobility related to activities of daily living. This can assist clinicians in making evidence-based decisions. In this context, kinematic measures are considered essential for the assessment of sensorimotor recovery after stroke. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of using an Android device to evaluate kinematic data during the performance of a standardized mobility test in people with chronic stroke and hemiparesis.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study including 36 individuals with chronic stroke and hemiparesis and 33 age-matched healthy subjects. A simple smartphone attached to the lumbar spine with an elastic band was used to measure participants' kinematics during a standardized mobility test by using the inertial sensor embedded in it. This test includes postural control, walking, turning and sitting down, and standing up. Differences between stroke and non-stroke participants in the kinematic parameters obtained after data sensor processing were studied, as well as in the total execution and reaction times. Also, the relationship between the kinematic parameters and the community ambulation ability, degree of disability and functional mobility of individuals with stroke was studied.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, participants with chronic stroke showed a larger medial-lateral displacement (p = 0.022) in bipedal stance, a higher medial-lateral range (p < 0.001) and a lower cranio-caudal range (p = 0.024) when walking, and lower turn-to-sit power (p = 0.001), turn-to-sit jerk (p = 0.026) and sit-to-stand jerk (p = 0.001) when assessing turn-to-sit-to-stand. Medial-lateral range and total execution time significantly correlated with all the clinical tests (p < 0.005), and resulted significantly different between independent and limited community ambulation patients (p = 0.042 and p = 0.006, respectively) as well as stroke participants with significant disability or slight/moderate disability (p = 0.024 and p = 0.041, respectively).

CONCLUSION

This study reports a valid, single, quick and easy-to-use test for assessing kinematic parameters in chronic stroke survivors by using a standardized mobility test with a smartphone. This measurement could provide valid clinical information on reaction time and kinematic parameters of postural control and gait, which can help in planning better intervention approaches.

Smartphone-based inertial measurements during Chester step test as a predictor of length of hospital stay in abdominopelvic cancer postoperative period: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Objective assessment of pre-operative functional capacity in cancer patients using the smartphone gyroscope during the Chester step (CST) test may allow greater sensitivity of test results. This study has investigated whether the CST is a postoperative hospital permanence predictor in cancer patients undergoing abdominopelvic surgery through work, VO2MAX and gyroscopic movement analysis.

METHODS

Prospective, quantitative, descriptive and inferential observational cohort study. Fifty-one patients were evaluated using CST in conjunction with a smartphone gyroscope. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the predictive value of the CST.

RESULTS

The duration of hospital permanence 30 days after surgery was longer when patients who performed stage 1 showed lower RMS amplitude and higher peak power. The work increased as the test progressed in stage 3. High VO2MAX seemed to be a predictor of hospital permanence in those who completed levels 3 and 4 of the test.

CONCLUSION

The use of the gyroscope was more accurate in detecting mobility changes, which predicted a less favorable result for those who met at level 1 of the CST. VO2MAX was a predictor of prolonged hospitalization from level 3 of the test. The work was less accurate to determine the patient's true functional capacity.

Smartphone-based gait and balance assessment in survivors of stroke: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Gait and balance impairments are associated with falls and reduced quality of life among survivors of stroke (SS). Effective methods to assess these impairments at-home and in-clinic can help reduce fall risks and improve functional outcomes. Smartphone technology may be able to evaluate these impairments. This review aims to summarize the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of smartphone applications for determining gait and balance disorders in SS.

METHOD

Database search through PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, and SportDiscuss was conducted to retrieve studies that explored the use of smartphone-based applications for assessing gait and balance disorders in SS. Two independent reviewers screened potential articles to determine eligibility for inclusion. Eligible studies were summarized for participant and study characteristics, validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity of smartphone assessments. Methodological quality assessment of studies was performed using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool.

RESULTS

Seven cross-sectional studies were included in the review. Quality assessment revealed all studies had low risk of bias. Three of the included studies examined the validity, four examined the reliability, and two examined the specificity and sensitivity of smartphone-based application assessments of gait and balance in SS. Studies revealed that smartphones were valid, reliable, specific, and sensitive. Six of the seven included studies intended their use for SS and one study for clinicians.

CONCLUSION

Preliminary evidence supports that smartphone-based gait and balance assessments are valid, reliable, sensitive, and specific in SS in laboratory settings. Future research is needed to test smartphone-based gait and balance assessments in home settings and determine optimal wear sites for assessments.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONSmartphone-based gait and balance assessments are feasible, valid and reliable for survivors of strokeThe findings may guide future research to standardize the use of smartphone to assess gait and balance in this population.The remote use of smartphone-based assessments to predict fall risk in survivors of stroke needs to be explored.

Accelerometry in the Functional Assessment of Balance in People with Stroke: A Systematic Review

Balance disturbances in people with lived experience of stroke affect activities of daily living and social participation, so assessing them is essential to know the level of functional independence. Accelerometers are electronic devices that allow kinematic variables of balance to be recorded and are a tool of great interest in the assessment of functional balance. To determine the validity and reliability of, as well as the most performed protocols using accelerometers in the functional assessment of balance in people with experience of stroke, a systematic search of articles published in the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, the PEDro and the Virtual Health Library from Spain was performed following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines. We used QUADAS-2 to assess the quality of the included studies. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, two studied reliability and validity, two studied reliability and four studied the validity of accelerometers in the assessment of balance in people with stroke. All studies indicated the kind of accelerometer, localization on the body, tests and outcome variables. The results indicate that accelerometers show excellent reliability values in the assessment of balance in people who had a prior stroke and disparate results in terms of validity. Triaxial accelerometers were most used, and the 4th and 5th lumbar and 1st and 2nd sacral vertebrae were the body areas most used for their placement.

A cost-effective smartphone-based device for rapid C-reaction protein (CRP) detection using magnetoelastic immunosensor

C-Reaction protein (CRP) is a marker of nonspecific immunity for vital signs and wound assessment, and it can be used to diagnose infections in clinical medicine. However, measuring CRP level currently requires hospital-based instruments, high-cost reagents, and a complex process, all of which have limited its full capabilities for self-detection, a growing trend in modern medicine. In this study, we developed a novel smartphone-based device using advanced methods of magnetoelastic immunosensing to mitigate these limitations. We combined a system-on-chip (SoC) hardware architecture with smartphone apps to realize the sampling of resonance frequency shift on magnetoelastic chips, which can determine the ultra-sensitivity to mass change caused by the binding of anti-CRP antibody and CRP. Through detecting a multi-group of samples, we found that the resonance frequency shift was linearly proportional to the CRP concentration in the range from 0.1 to 100 μg mL^-1, with a sensitivity of 12.90 Hz μg^-1 mL^-1 and a detection limit of 2.349 × 10^-4 μg mL^-1. Meanwhile, compared with the large-scale instrument used in clinical settings, the performance of our device was stable and significantly more portable, rapid and cost-effective, offering excellent potential for modern home-based diagnosis.

A scoping review on recent trends in wearable sensors to analyze gait in people with stroke: From sensor placement to validation against gold-standard equipment

The purpose of the review is to evaluate wearable sensor placement, their impact and validation of wearable sensors on analyzing gait, primarily the postural instability in people with stroke. Databases, namely PubMed, Cochrane, SpringerLink, and IEEE Xplore were searched to identify related articles published since January 2005. The authors have selected the articles by considering patient characteristics, intervention details, and outcome measurements by following the priorly set inclusion and exclusion criteria. From a total of 1077 articles, 142 were included in this study and classified into functional fields, namely postural stability (PS) assessments, physical activity monitoring (PA), gait pattern classification (GPC), and foot drop correction (FDC). The review covers the types of wearable sensors, their placement, and their performance in terms of reliability and validity. When employing a single wearable sensor, the pelvis and foot were the most used locations for detecting gait asymmetry and kinetic parameters, respectively. Multiple Inertial Measurement Units placed at different body parts were effectively used to estimate postural stability and gait pattern. This review article has compared results of placement of sensors at different locations helping researchers and clinicians to identify the best possible placement for sensors to measure specific kinematic and kinetic parameters in persons with stroke.

Balance Rehabilitation through Robot-Assisted Gait Training in Post-Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Balance impairment is a common disability in post-stroke survivors, leading to reduced mobility and increased fall risk. Robotic gait training (RAGT) is largely used, along with traditional training. There is, however, no strong evidence about RAGT superiority, especially on balance. This study aims to determine RAGT efficacy on balance of post-stroke survivors.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, and PeDRO databases were investigated. Randomized clinical trials evaluating RAGT efficacy on post-stroke survivor balance with Berg Balance Scale (BBS) or Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were searched. Meta-regression analyses were performed, considering weekly sessions, single-session duration, and robotic device used.

RESULTS

A total of 18 trials have been included. BBS pre-post treatment mean difference is higher in RAGT-treated patients, with a pMD of 2.17 (95% CI 0.79; 3.55). TUG pre-post mean difference is in favor of RAGT, but not statistically, with a pMD of -0.62 (95%CI - 3.66; 2.43). Meta-regression analyses showed no relevant association, except for TUG and treatment duration (β = -1.019, 95% CI - 1.827; -0.210, p-value = 0.0135).

CONCLUSIONS

RAGT efficacy is equal to traditional therapy, while the combination of the two seems to lead to better outcomes than each individually performed. Robot-assisted balance training should be the focus of experimentation in the following years, given the great results in the first available trials. Given the massive heterogeneity of included patients, trials with more strict inclusion criteria (especially time from stroke) must be performed to finally define if and when RAGT is superior to traditional therapy.

Home-based exercise using balance disc and smartphone inclinometer application improves balance and activity of daily living in individuals with stroke: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Sitting ability is critical for daily activities in individuals who have experienced a stroke. A combination of seated balance training on an unstable surface and real-time visual feedback via a simple mobile inclinometer application may improve trunk control in stroke survivors.

OBJECTIVE

This randomized controlled trial aimed to determine the effects of home-based exercise utilizing a balance disc with input from a smartphone inclinometer application on sitting balance and activities of daily living in stroke survivors.

METHODS

This trial enrolled 32 stroke survivors aged 30 to 75 years. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: intervention or control. Both groups underwent four weeks of traditional therapy. Additionally, the intervention group received four weeks of multidirectional lean training utilizing a balance disc and a smartphone application with an inclinometer. The Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke (PASS), the Function in Sitting Test (FIST), and the Barthel Index (BI) were used to assess the results. To compare between group effects, an ANCOVA analysis was performed using a baseline as a covariate.

RESULTS

The PASS changing posture and BI were considerably greater in the intervention group compared to the control group. Other metrics revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Home-based training with balance discs and input from a smartphone inclinometer application may improve postural control and daily activity in stroke patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical trials registry number: TCTR20210617004.

A Systematic Review of Fall Risk Factors in Stroke Survivors: Towards Improved Assessment Platforms and Protocols

Background/Purpose: To prevent falling, a common incident with debilitating health consequences among stroke survivors, it is important to identify significant fall risk factors (FRFs) towards developing and implementing predictive and preventive strategies and guidelines. This review provides a systematic approach for identifying the relevant FRFs and shedding light on future directions of research.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in 5 popular research databases. Studies investigating the FRFs in the stroke community were evaluated to identify the commonality and trend of FRFs in the relevant literature.

Results: twenty-seven relevant articles were reviewed and analyzed spanning the years 1995–2020. The results confirmed that the most common FRFs were age (21/27, i.e., considered in 21 out of 27 studies), gender (21/27), motion-related measures (19/27), motor function/impairment (17/27), balance-related measures (16/27), and cognitive impairment (11/27). Among these factors, motion-related measures had the highest rate of significance (i.e., 84% or 16/19). Due to the high commonality of balance/motion-related measures, we further analyzed these factors. We identified a trend reflecting that subjective tools are increasingly being replaced by simple objective measures (e.g., 10-m walk), and most recently by quantitative measures based on detailed motion analysis.

Conclusion: There remains a gap for a standardized systematic approach for selecting relevant FRFs in stroke fall risk literature. This study provides an evidence-based methodology to identify the relevant risk factors, as well as their commonalities and trends. Three significant areas for future research on post stroke fall risk assessment have been identified: 1) further exploration the efficacy of quantitative detailed motion analysis; 2) implementation of inertial measurement units as a cost-effective and accessible tool in clinics and beyond; and 3) investigation of the capability of cognitive-motor dual-task paradigms and their association with FRFs.

Efficacy of Overground Robotic Gait Training on Balance in Stroke Survivors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Strokes often lead to a deficit in motor control that contributes to a reduced balance function. Impairments in the balance function severely limit the activities of daily living (ADL) in stroke survivors. The present systematic review and meta-analysis primarily aims to explore the efficacy of overground robot-assisted gait training (o-RAGT) on balance recovery in individuals with stroke. In addition, the efficacy on ADL is also investigated. This systematic review identified nine articles investigating the effects of o-RAGT on balance, four of which also assessed ADL. The results of the meta-analysis suggest that o-RAGT does not increase balance and ADL outcomes more than conventional therapy in individuals after stroke. The data should not be overestimated due to the low number of studies included in the meta-analysis and the wide confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses to investigate the influence of participant’s characteristics and training dosage were not performed due to lack of data availability. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to investigate the efficacy of o-RAGT on balance in individuals with stroke.

Neuromechanical Biomarkers for Robotic Neurorehabilitation

One of the current challenges for translational rehabilitation research is to develop the strategies to deliver accurate evaluation, prediction, patient selection, and decision-making in the clinical practice. In this regard, the robot-assisted interventions have gained popularity as they can provide the objective and quantifiable assessment of the motor performance by taking the kinematics parameters into the account. Neurophysiological parameters have also been proposed for this purpose due to the novel advances in the non-invasive signal processing techniques. In addition, other parameters linked to the motor learning and brain plasticity occurring during the rehabilitation have been explored, looking for a more holistic rehabilitation approach. However, the majority of the research done in this area is still exploratory. These parameters have shown the capability to become the “biomarkers” that are defined as the quantifiable indicators of the physiological/pathological processes and the responses to the therapeutical interventions. In this view, they could be finally used for enhancing the robot-assisted treatments. While the research on the biomarkers has been growing in the last years, there is a current need for a better comprehension and quantification of the neuromechanical processes involved in the rehabilitation. In particular, there is a lack of operationalization of the potential neuromechanical biomarkers into the clinical algorithms. In this scenario, a new framework called the “Rehabilomics” has been proposed to account for the rehabilitation research that exploits the biomarkers in its design. This study provides an overview of the state-of-the-art of the biomarkers related to the robotic neurorehabilitation, focusing on the translational studies, and underlying the need to create the comprehensive approaches that have the potential to take the research on the biomarkers into the clinical practice. We then summarize some promising biomarkers that are being under investigation in the current literature and provide some examples of their current and/or potential applications in the neurorehabilitation. Finally, we outline the main challenges and future directions in the field, briefly discussing their potential evolution and prospective.

Feasibility of Smartphone-Based Badminton Footwork Performance Assessment System

Footwork is the most fundamental skill in badminton, involving the ability of acceleration or deceleration and changing directions on the court, which is related to accurate shots and better game performance. The footwork performance in-field is commonly assessed using the total finished time, but does not provide any information in each direction. With the higher usage of the smartphones, utilizing their built-in inertial sensors to assess footwork performance in-field might be possible by providing information about body acceleration in each direction. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a smartphone-based measurement system on badminton six-point footwork. The body acceleration during the six-point footwork was recorded using a smartphone fixed at the belly button and a self-developed application in thirty badminton players. The mean and maximum of the acceleration resultant for each direction of the footwork were calculated. The participants were classified into either the faster or slower group based on the finished duration of footwork. Badminton players who finished the footwork faster demonstrated a greater mean and maximum acceleration compared to those who finished slower in most directions except for the frontcourt directions. The current study found that using a smartphone’s built-in accelerometer to evaluate badminton footwork is feasible.

Occupational therapy utilisation of apps in practice in the United States

AIMS

The purpose of this cross-sectional research study was to explore the use of apps by occupational therapy practitioners in the United States to gain a more complete overview of utilisation and perceived effectiveness, and assess trends by population served, practice setting, occupation addressed, and client deficit.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional study, 160 self-identified occupational therapy practitioners, 126 occupational therapists and 34 occupational therapy assistants, recruited through snowball sampling on social media participated in this 26-question survey available for two weeks online. Data analysis was conducted through SurveyMonkey and SPSS version 26.

RESULTS

The majority of respondents (71.9%) reported that they have used apps in practice, most frequently as treatment modalities (84.3%) and as recommendations (71.9%) for clients. Likewise, most respondents who reported using apps considered apps to be as effective (70.5%) or better than (27.3%) traditional practice methods. Use of apps was significantly associated with practice setting X²(9, N = 160) = 46.437, p < .001.

CONCLUSIONS

Occupational therapists are using apps with clients of all age groups, and these apps are being used in all phases of the occupational therapy process. Apps are available that address all eight areas of occupation, and apps are perceived to be as effective or better than traditional occupational therapy interventions.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILIATIONThe majority of occupational therapy practitioners surveyed are using apps in practice.Most therapists are being provided devices by employers that support app use in practice.Neuromusculoskeletal and movement related functions and mental functions related to cognition are the primary client impairments therapists are addressing when using apps.Lack of app knowledge and familiarity with apps were the leading barriers to app use in practice.

Validity and reliability of smartphone use in assessing balance in patients with chronic ankle instability and healthy volunteers: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Chronic ankle instability (CAI) is associated with defective posture control and balance; thus, a proper assessment of these impairments is necessary for effective clinical decision-making. There is a need for portable, valid, and reliable methods to facilitate the easy collection of real-world data, such as mobile phones.

RESEARCH QUESTION

Is the smartphone "MyAnkle" application valid and reliable in assessing balance in patients with CAI and healthy volunteers?

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study. Sixty-five participants completed two assessment sessions, including 31 patients (n = 41 ankles with CAI and 21 asymptomatic ankles) and 34 healthy volunteers (n = 68 ankles). In each session, dynamic single-leg stance balance was measured simultaneously using the "MyAnkle" application and the Biodex balance system (BBS) version 3. Testing was conducted at three levels of BBS difficulty-4 (D4, hard, loose platform), 6 (D6, moderate), and 8 (D8, easy, stiffer platform)-and repeated with opened and closed eyes. Both limbs were tested in a random order by two independent blinded assessors.

RESULTS

The two devices showed significant poor-to-moderate correlations when eyes were closed (p < 0.05). For discriminant validity, the application did not distinguish the two study groups in all tested conditions (p > 0.05), whereas the BBS weakly to moderately distinguished the dominant limbs in the two groups at all difficulty levels with eyes-open and at D8 with eyes-closed regardless to limb dominance. For reliability, a significantly poor to moderate inter-session reliability was noted for the two devices.

SIGNIFICANCE

"MyAnkle" application is valid in assessing balance in patients with CAI when the eyes are closed. However, similarly to BBS, its one-week test-retest reliability may be insufficient for accurate follow-up of balance changes and need to be interpreted with caution. Future studies need to establish its inter-tester reliability and its usefulness in telerehabilitation.

Fifteen Years of Wireless Sensors for Balance Assessment in Neurological Disorders

Balance impairment is a major mechanism behind falling along with environmental hazards. Under physiological conditions, ageing leads to a progressive decline in balance control per se. Moreover, various neurological disorders further increase the risk of falls by deteriorating specific nervous system functions contributing to balance. Over the last 15 years, significant advancements in technology have provided wearable solutions for balance evaluation and the management of postural instability in patients with neurological disorders. This narrative review aims to address the topic of balance and wireless sensors in several neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, stroke, and other neurodegenerative and acute clinical syndromes. The review discusses the physiological and pathophysiological bases of balance in neurological disorders as well as the traditional and innovative instruments currently available for balance assessment. The technical and clinical perspectives of wearable technologies, as well as current challenges in the field of teleneurology, are also examined.

Development of a Smartphone-Based Balance Assessment System for Subjects with Stroke

Stroke is a cerebral artery disease that negatively affects activities of daily living (ADLs) and quality of life (QoL). Smartphones have demonstrated strong potential in assessing balance performance. However, such smartphone-based tools have thus far not been applied to stroke survivors. The purpose of this study was to develop a smartphone-based balance assessment system for subjects who have experienced strokes and evaluate the system feasibility. The smartphone-based balance assessment application was developed with Android Studio, and reliability and validity tests were conducted. The smartphone was used to record data using a built-in accelerometer and gyroscope, and increased changes represented greater instability. Six postures were tested for 30 s each. Ten healthy adults were recruited in the reliability test, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to analyze the within-day and between-day reliabilities. Eight subjects with chronic stroke and eight healthy adults were recruited for the validity test, in which balance performance was compared to represent the application validity. The ICC values of the reliability tests were at least 0.76 (p = 0.00). The acceleration data exhibited no difference between individuals who have experienced stroke and healthy subjects; however, all six postures were found to differ significantly between the two groups in the gyroscope data. The study demonstrates that the smartphone application provides a convenient, reliable, and valid tool for the balance assessments of subjects who have experienced chronic stroke.

Wearable Inertial Sensors to Assess Standing Balance: A Systematic Review

Wearable sensors are de facto revolutionizing the assessment of standing balance. The aim of this work is to review the state-of-the-art literature that adopts this new posturographic paradigm, i.e., to analyse human postural sway through inertial sensors directly worn on the subject body. After a systematic search on PubMed and Scopus databases, two raters evaluated the quality of 73 full-text articles, selecting 47 high-quality contributions. A good inter-rater reliability was obtained (Cohen's kappa = 0.79). This selection of papers was used to summarize the available knowledge on the types of sensors used and their positioning, the data acquisition protocols and the main applications in this field (e.g., "active aging", biofeedback-based rehabilitation for fall prevention, and the management of Parkinson's disease and other balance-related pathologies), as well as the most adopted outcome measures. A critical discussion on the validation of wearable systems against gold standards is also presented.