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Monoli C, Galli M, Tuhtan JA. Improving the reliability of underwater gait analysis using wearable pressure and inertial sensors. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300100. [PMID: 38512810 PMCID: PMC10956759 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
This work addresses the lack of reliable wearable methods to assess walking gaits in underwater environments by evaluating the lateral hydrodynamic pressure exerted on lower limbs. Sixteen healthy adults were outfitted with waterproof wearable inertial and pressure sensors. Gait analysis was conducted on land in a motion analysis laboratory using an optoelectronic system as reference, and subsequently underwater in a rehabilitation swimming pool. Differences between the normalized land and underwater gaits were evaluated using temporal gait parameters, knee joint angles and the total water pressure on the lower limbs. The proposed method was validated against the optoelectronic system on land; gait events were identified with low bias (0.01s) using Bland-Altman plots for the stride time, and an acceptable error was observed when estimating the knee angle (10.96° RMSE, Bland-Altman bias -2.94°). The kinematic differences between the land and underwater environments were quantified, where it was observed that the temporal parameters increased by more than a factor of two underwater (p<0.001). The subdivision of swing and stance phases remained consistent between land and water trials. A higher variability of the knee angle was observed in water (CV = 60.75%) as compared to land (CV = 31.02%). The intra-subject variability of the hydrodynamic pressure on the foot ([Formula: see text] = 39.65%) was found to be substantially lower than that of the knee angle (CVz = 67.69%). The major finding of this work is that the hydrodynamic pressure on the lower limbs may offer a new and more reliable parameter for underwater motion analysis as it provided a reduced intra-subject variability as compared to conventional gait parameters applied in land-based studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Monoli
- Department of Computer Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Manuela Galli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Jeffrey A. Tuhtan
- Department of Computer Systems, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
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Monoli C, Tuhtan JA, Piccinini L, Galli M. Wearable technologies for monitoring aquatic exercises: A systematic review. Clin Rehabil 2022; 37:791-807. [PMID: 36437591 PMCID: PMC10126456 DOI: 10.1177/02692155221141039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Objective To review methods for aquatic exercise monitoring using wearables. Data sources Database search of PubMed, IEEEXplore, Scopus and Web of Science based on keywords, considering articles from the year 2000. The last search was performed on 26 October 2022. Review methods Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, eligible articles on water exercises were selected and summarized. Further screening process concentrated on studies exploiting wearable devices, organized according to demographics, purpose, protocols, outcomes and methods. A custom critical appraisal questionnaire was applied. Results Out of the 1062 articles identified, 572 were considered eligible and subjected to preliminary synthesis. The final review focused on 27 articles featuring wearable devices applied to aquatic exercises. Four studies were disregarded as they applied wearable devices to determine daily physical activity or for sleep monitoring after training. Summary tables of 23 studies exploiting wearable devices for underwater motion analysis are provided, specifying the investigated parameters, major outcomes and study quality. This review identified four research gaps: (a) the absence of clinical protocols for underwater motion studies, (b) a deficit of whole-body studies, (c) the lack of longitudinal studies monitored via wearable devices and (d) the reliance of underwater studies on measurement and assessment methods developed for land-based investigations. Conclusions This review emphasizes the need for both technological and methodological improvements for underwater motion analysis studies using wearables. We advocate for longitudinal clinical investigations with wearables to substantiate water exercise as an addition or replacement for land-based physical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Monoli
- Department of Computer System, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Jeffrey A Tuhtan
- Department of Computer System, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Luigi Piccinini
- Scientific Institute “E. Medea” Ass. La Nostra Famiglia, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Manuela Galli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
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Preatoni E, Bergamini E, Fantozzi S, Giraud LI, Orejel Bustos AS, Vannozzi G, Camomilla V. The Use of Wearable Sensors for Preventing, Assessing, and Informing Recovery from Sport-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Scoping Review. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 22:3225. [PMID: 35590914 PMCID: PMC9105988 DOI: 10.3390/s22093225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Wearable technologies are often indicated as tools that can enable the in-field collection of quantitative biomechanical data, unobtrusively, for extended periods of time, and with few spatial limitations. Despite many claims about their potential for impact in the area of injury prevention and management, there seems to be little attention to grounding this potential in biomechanical research linking quantities from wearables to musculoskeletal injuries, and to assessing the readiness of these biomechanical approaches for being implemented in real practice. We performed a systematic scoping review to characterise and critically analyse the state of the art of research using wearable technologies to study musculoskeletal injuries in sport from a biomechanical perspective. A total of 4952 articles were retrieved from the Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed databases; 165 were included. Multiple study features-such as research design, scope, experimental settings, and applied context-were summarised and assessed. We also proposed an injury-research readiness classification tool to gauge the maturity of biomechanical approaches using wearables. Five main conclusions emerged from this review, which we used as a springboard to propose guidelines and good practices for future research and dissemination in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezio Preatoni
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (E.P.); (L.I.G.)
- Centre for Health and Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Elena Bergamini
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (A.S.O.B.); (V.C.)
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System (BOHNES), University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Fantozzi
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy;
- Health Sciences and Technologies—Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Lucie I. Giraud
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK; (E.P.); (L.I.G.)
| | - Amaranta S. Orejel Bustos
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (A.S.O.B.); (V.C.)
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System (BOHNES), University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Vannozzi
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (A.S.O.B.); (V.C.)
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System (BOHNES), University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Camomilla
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy; (E.B.); (A.S.O.B.); (V.C.)
- Interuniversity Centre of Bioengineering of the Human Neuromusculoskeletal System (BOHNES), University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Piazza L. de Bosis 6, 00135 Rome, Italy
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