Effects of a Swing Time based Vibro Tactile Biofeedback Protocol on Gait with Focus on Gait Variability among Healthy Older Adults

Older adults walk with shorter stride length; this change has been linked with reductions in gait performance. Wearable systems that provide customized biofeedback has been found to have effectively increased the stride length and the range of motion. Previous studies have suggested that changes in gait patterns usually require a motor learning process, which can be reflected in the increase in variability in some gait parameters. This study paid attention to the changes in variability in gait upon using a swing time based vibrotactile biofeedback system. Four healthy older adults participated in this study, in which a biofeedback system was used to give them vibrating signals and encourage them to increase their swing time. The results of this study show that participants that showed gait improvements (e.g., increasing the stride length) presented lower gait variability than those who did not adapt. A greater variability was observed in temporal than spatial gait parameters. Following motor learning theories, the automaticity of the movement reduces while modifying the gait pattern. It may be possible that participants underwent increments of gait variability as an adaptive process to achieve the required task

Effects of Wearable Devices with Biofeedback on Biomechanical Performance of Running—A Systematic Review

This present review includes a systematic search for peer-reviewed articles published between March 2009 and March 2020 that evaluated the effects of wearable devices with biofeedback on the biomechanics of running. The included articles did not focus on physiological and metabolic metrics. Articles with patients, animals, orthoses, exoskeletons and virtual reality were not included. Following the PRISMA guidelines, 417 articles were first identified, and nineteen were selected following the removal of duplicates and articles which did not meet the inclusion criteria. Most reviewed articles reported a significant reduction in positive peak acceleration, which was found to be related to tibial stress fractures in running. Some previous studies provided biofeedback aiming to increase stride frequencies. They produced some positive effects on running, as they reduced vertical load in knee and ankle joints and vertical displacement of the body and increased knee flexion. Some other parameters, including contact ground time and speed, were fed back by wearable devices for running. Such devices reduced running time and increased swing phase time. This article reviews challenges in this area and suggests future studies can evaluate the long-term effects in running biomechanics produced by wearable devices with biofeedback

A wearable biofeedback device to increase gait swing time could have positive effects on gait among older adults

Older adults walk with a shorter stride length, reduced hip range of motion (ROM) and higher cadence. These are signs of reductions in walking ability. This study investigated whether using a wireless smart insole system that monitored and provided biofeedback to encourage an extension of swing time could increase stride length and hip flexion, while reducing the cadence. Seven older adults were tested in this study, with and without the biofeedback device, in an outdoor environment. Gait analysis was performed by using GaitRite system and Xsens MVN. Repeated measures analysis demonstrated that with biofeedback, the swing time increased by 6.45%, stride length by 4.52% and hip flexion by 14.73%, with statistical significance. It also decreased the cadence significantly by 5.5%. This study has demonstrated that this smart insole system modified positively the studied gait parameters in older adults and has the potential to improve their walking ability