Pre-operative ambulatory measurement of asymmetric lower limb loading during walking in total hip arthroplasty patients

The main goal of this study was to investigate how mobility characteristics during walking, relate to gait velocity and questionnaire outcomes of patients with hip osteoarthritis in an outpatient setting. Methods 22 patients with primary osteoarthritis of the hip selected for a total hip arthroplasty participated in this study. For each patient the Harris Hip Score, the Traditional Western Ontario and the McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index were administered. Subsequently, the patients were instructed to walk through the corridor while wearing instrumented shoes. The gait velocity estimated with the instrumented force shoes was validated measuring the time required to walk a distance of 10 m using a stopwatch and a measuring tape as a reference system. A regression analysis between spatial, temporal, ground reaction force parameters, including asymmetry, and the gait velocity and the questionnaires outcomes was performed

An evaluation of the 30-s chair stand test in older adults: frailty detection based on kinematic parameters from a single inertial unit

Background: A growing interest in frailty syndrome exists because it is regarded as a major predictor of co-morbidities and mortality in older populations. Nevertheless, frailty assessment has been controversial, particularly when identifying this syndrome in a community setting. Performance tests such as the 30-second chair stand test (30-s CST) are a cornerstone for detecting early declines in functional independence. Additionally, recent advances in body-fixed sensors have enhanced the sensors’ ability to automatically and accurately evaluate kinematic parameters related to a specific movement performance. The purpose of this study is to use this new technology to obtain kinematic parameters that can identify frailty in an aged population through the performance the 30-s CST. Methods: Eighteen adults with a mean age of 54 years, as well as sixteen pre-frail and thirteen frail patients with mean ages of 78 and 85 years, respectively, performed the 30-s CST while threir trunk movements were measured by a sensor-unit at vertebra L3. Sit-stand-sit cycles were determined using both acceleration and orientation information to detect failed attempts. Movement-related phases (i.e. impulse, stand-up, and sit-down) were differentiated based on seat off and seat on events. Finally, the kinematic parameters of the impulse, stand-up and sit-down phases were obtained to identify potential differences across the three frailty groups. Results: For the stand-up and sit-down phases, velocity peaks and “modified impulse” parameters clearly differentiated subjects with different frailty levels (p < 0.001). The trunk orientation range during the impulse phase was also able to classify a subject according to his frail syndrome (p < 0.001). Furthermore, these parameters derived from the inertial units (IUs) are sensitive enough to detect frailty differences not registered by the number of completed cycles which is the standard test outcome. Conclusions: This study shows that IUs can enhance the information gained from tests currently used in clinical practice, such as the 30-s CST. Parameters such as velocity peaks, impulse, and orientation range are able to differentiate between adults and older populations with different frailty levels. This study indicates that early frailty detection could be possible in clinical environments, and the subsequent interventions to correct these disabilities could be prescribed before further degradation occurs.The authors are indebted to the Spanish Department of Health and Institute Carlos III of the Government of Spain [Spanish Net on Aging and frailty; (RETICEF)], Department of Health of the Government of Navarre and Economy and Competitivity Department of the Government of Spain, for financing this research with grants numbered RD12/0043/0022, 87/2010, and DEP2011-24105 respectively

Computation of greatest common divisor for the blind deconvolution of transient impulsive signals

Comunicación presentada al First Internacional Workshop on Marine technology. Villanova i La Geltrú (Barcelona), 2005.We propose a new blind deconvolution method for transient impulsive signals in a single input – multiple output (SIMO) system. The method exploits the data redundancy inherent to SIMO multichannel systems to obtain an estimation of the input signal. The method is built upon the assumptions of finite-length signals and channel diversity

Reliability of Xsens inertial measurement unit in measuring trunk accelerations: a sex-based differences study during incremental treadmill running

IntroductionInertial measurement units (IMUs) are utilized to measure trunk acceleration variables related to both running performances and rehabilitation purposes. This study examined both the reliability and sex-based differences of these variables during an incremental treadmill running test.MethodsEighteen endurance runners performed a test–retest on different days, and 30 runners (15 females) were recruited to analyze sex-based differences. Mediolateral (ML) and vertical (VT) trunk displacement and root mean square (RMS) accelerations were analyzed at 9, 15, and 21 km·h−1.ResultsNo significant differences were found between test-retests [effect size (ES)&lt;0.50)]. Higher intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were found in the trunk displacement (0.85-0.96) compared to the RMS-based variables (0.71–0.94). Male runners showed greater VT displacement (ES = 0.90–1.0), while female runners displayed greater ML displacement, RMS ML and anteroposterior (AP), and resultant euclidean scalar (RES) (ES = 0.83–1.9).DiscussionThe IMU was found reliable for the analysis of the studied trunk acceleration-based variables. This is the first study that reports different results concerning acceleration (RMS) and trunk displacement variables for a same axis in the analysis of sex-based differences

Frailty assessment based on trunk kinematic parameters during walking

Background: Physical frailty has become the center of attention of basic, clinical and demographic research due to its incidence level and gravity of adverse outcomes with age. Frailty syndrome is estimated to affect 20 % of the population older than 75 years. Thus, one of the greatest current challenges in this field is to identify parameters that can discriminate between vulnerable and robust subjects. Gait analysis has been widely used to predict frailty. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a collection of parameters extracted from the trunk acceleration signals could provide additional accurate information about frailty syndrome. Methods: A total of 718 subjects from an elderly population (319 males, 399 females; age: 75.4 ± 6.1 years, mass: 71.8 ± 12.4 kg, height: 158 ± 6 cm) volunteered to participate in this study. The subjects completed a 3-m walk test at their own gait velocity. Kinematic data were acquired from a tri-axial inertial orientation tracker. Findings: The spatio-temporal and frequency parameters measured in this study with an inertial sensor are related to gait disorders and showed significant differences among groups (frail, pre-frail and robust). A selection of those parameters improves frailty classification obtained to gait velocity, compared to classification model based on gait velocity solely. Interpretation: Gait parameters simultaneously used with gait velocity are able to provide useful information for a more accurate frailty classification. Moreover, this technique could improve the early detection of pre-frail status, allowing clinicians to perform measurements outside of a laboratory environment with the potential to prescribe a treatment for reversing their physical decline.This work was supported in part by the Spanish Department of Health and Institute Carlos III of the Government of Spain [Spanish Net on Aging and frailty; (RETICEF)], and Economy and Competitivity Department of the Government of Spain, under grants numbered RD12/043/0002, and DEP2011-24105, respectively