Feasibility and acceptability study on the use of a smartphone application to facilitate balance training in the ageing population.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of using an app-based technology to train balance in the older population.

Design: Prospective feasibility study.

Setting: The study was conducted in a university setting and participants' homes.

Assessment of chest wall movement following thoracotomy: a systematic review.

Thoracotomy is a major cause of respiratory impairment, increasing the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC). Systems assessing ribcage kinematics may detect changes in chest expansion following thoracotomy and may thus aid in the development of patient-tailored chest physiotherapy. Hence, we aimed to identify studies assessing changes in chest wall movement following thoracotomy using objective measures.

Alteration of movement patterns in low back pain assessed by Statistical Parametric Mapping.

Changes in movement pattern in low back pain (LBP) groups have been analysed by reporting predefined discrete variables. However, this approach does not consider the full kinematic data waveform and its dynamic information, potentially exposing the analysis to bias. Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) has been introduced and applied to 1 dimensional (D) kinematic variables allowing the assessment of data over time.

Exploring the clinical context of adopting an instrumented insole: a qualitative study of clinicians' preferences in England.

Objectives: This study explores clinicians' views of the clinical uptake of a smart pressure-sensing insole, named Flexifoot, to enhance the care and management of patients with osteoarthritis (OA). Clinicians are key users of wearable technologies, and can provide appropriate feedback for a specific device for successful clinical implementation.

Design: Qualitative study with in-depth, semi-structured interviews, analysed using inductive analysis to generate key themes.

Exploring the Role of Wearable Technology in Sport Kinematics and Kinetics: A Systematic Review.

The aim of this review was to understand the use of wearable technology in sport in order to enhance performance and prevent injury. Understanding sports biomechanics is important for injury prevention and performance enhancement and is traditionally assessed using optical motion capture. However, such approaches are limited by capture volume restricting assessment to a laboratory environment, a factor that can be overcome by wearable technology.

Spinal segments do not move together predictably during daily activities.

Background: Considering the thoracic, lumbar spine or whole spine as rigid segments has been the norm until recent studies highlighted the importance of more detailed modelling. A better understanding of the requirement for spine multi-segmental analysis could guide planning of future studies and avoid missing clinically-relevant information.

Research Question: This study aims to assess the correlation between adjacent spine segments movement thereby evaluating segmental redundancy in both healthy and participants with low back pain (LBP).

Is there evidence to use kinematic/kinetic measures clinically in low back pain patients? A systematic review.

Background: Currently, there is a widespread reliance on self-reported questionnaires to assess low back pain patients. However, it has been suggested that objective measures of low back pain patients' functional status should be used to aid clinical assessment. The aim of this study is to systematically review which kinematic /kinetic parameters have been used to assess low back pain patients against healthy controls and to propose clinical kinematic/kinetic measures.

A flexible wearable sensor for knee flexion assessment during gait.

Background: Gait analysis plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of patients with movement disorders but it is usually performed within a laboratory. Recently interest has shifted towards the possibility of conducting gait assessments in everyday environments thus facilitating long-term monitoring. This is possible by using wearable technologies rather than laboratory based equipment.

Wearable technology for spine movement assessment: A systematic review.

Continuous monitoring of spine movement function could enhance our understanding of low back pain development. Wearable technologies have gained popularity as promising alternative to laboratory systems in allowing ambulatory movement analysis. This paper aims to review the state of art of current use of wearable technology to assess spine kinematics and kinetics.

Predicting knee osteoarthritis risk in injured populations.

Background: Individuals who suffered a lower limb injury have an increased risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. Early diagnosis of osteoarthritis and the ability to track its progression is challenging. This study aimed to explore links between self-reported knee osteoarthritis outcome scores and biomechanical gait parameters, whether self-reported outcome scores could predict gait abnormalities characteristic of knee osteoarthritis in injured populations and, whether scores and biomechanical outcomes were related to osteoarthritis severity via Spearman's correlation coefficient.

Clinical assessment of antero-medial rotational knee laxity: a systematic review.

Purpose: To inventory the examination methods available to assess antero-medial rotational laxity (AMRL) of the knee following medial collateral ligament injury.

Methods: Searches were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines and using four online databases: WEB OF SCIENCE, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and AMED. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme guidelines for Diagnostic Test Studies were used for the quality assessment of the articles.

Impact of wearable technology on psychosocial factors of osteoarthritis management: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To identify the impact the use of wearable technology could have in patients with osteoarthritis in terms of communication with healthcare providers and patients' empowerment to manage their condition.

Design: Qualitative study using focus groups with patients with osteoarthritis; data from patients' responses were analysed using Framework Methodology.

Participants: 21 patients with knee osteoarthritis from the London area (age range 45-65 years) participated in a total of four focus groups.

Wearable technologies in osteoarthritis: a qualitative study of clinicians' preferences.

Objective: This study investigates clinicians' views of health-related wearable technologies in the context of supporting osteoarthritis (OA) long-term management. Clinicians' preferences are critical in identifying realistic implementation strategies for such technologies.

Design: Qualitative study incorporating an inductive thematic analysis applied to identify key themes from clinicians' responses.

A knee monitoring device and the preferences of patients living with osteoarthritis: a qualitative study.

Objectives: To identify perspective of patients with osteoarthritis, in particular design requirements and mode of use, of wearable technology to support the rehabilitation pathway. This study is part of a user-centred design approach adopted to develop a rehabilitation tool for patients with osteoarthritis.

Design: Qualitative study using a focus group approach; data management via a thematic analysis of patients' responses.

Use of wearable technology for performance assessment: a validation study.

The prevalence of osteoarthritis is increasing globally but current compliance with rehabilitation remains poor. This study explores whether wearable sensors can be used to provide objective measures of performance with a view to using them as motivators to aid compliance to osteoarthritis rehabilitation. More specifically, the use of a novel attachable wearable sensor integrated into clothing and inertial measurement units located in two different positions, at the waist and thigh pocket, was investigated.

Determination of loads carried by polypropylene ankle-foot orthoses: a preliminary study.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are prescribed for the management of gait-related problems. Prescription of AFOs is based on empirical techniques due to the low level of evidence-based research on their efficacy, but primarily poor understanding of their mechanical characteristics. This study aimed to establish a method that would allow the quantification of the contribution of AFOs in the control of the ankle joint during gait.

Analysis of gait within the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis: stabilisation of the centre of mass during gait.

This study investigated the feasibility of the uncontrolled manifold approach (UCM) to analyse gait data variability in relation to the control of the centre of mass (COM) in adults with and without neuropathology. The proposed method was applied to six able-bodied subjects to characterise mechanisms of normal postural control during stance phase. This approach was repeated on an early stroke patient, who attended the laboratory three times at three monthly intervals, to characterise the variability of COM movement during walking with and without an orthosis.

The evaluation of an inexpensive, 2D, video based gait assessment system for clinical use.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical potential of an augmented-video-based-portable-system (AVPS). The AVPS included a walkway grid mat made of vinyl flooring, flat paper bull's eye markers, four photoswitches mounted on tripods, a light-indicator, a video camera, and a computer with ProTrainer System software. The AVPS output was compared to a "gold standard" 3D Vicon Motion Analysis System both statically and dynamically over a fixed range (-90° to +90°) using a two-segment-goniometric-rig marked with both bull's eye and retroreflective markers.