Gait & Motion Analysis Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2019 Jun;29(6):835-842. doi: 10.1111/sms.13396. Epub 2019 Feb 15.
Real-time biofeedback gait retraining has been reported to be an effective intervention to lower the impact loading during gait. While many of the previous gait retraining studies have utilized a laboratory-based setup, some studies used accelerometers affixed at the distal tibia to allow training outside the laboratory environment. However, many commercial sensors for gait modification are shoe-mounted. Hence, this study sought to compare impact loading parameters measured by shoe-mounted and tibia sensors in participants before and after a course of walking or running retraining using signal source from the shoe-mounted sensors. We also compared the correlations between peak positive acceleration measured at shoe (PPA ) and tibia (PPA ) and vertical loading rates, as these loading rates have been related to injury. Twenty-four and 14 participants underwent a 2-week visual biofeedback walking and running retraining, respectively. Participants in the walking retraining group experienced lower PPA following the intervention (P < 0.005). However, they demonstrated no change in PPA (P = 0.409) nor vertical loading rates (P > 0.098) following the walking retraining. In contrast, participants in the running retraining group experienced a reduction in the PPA (P = 0.001) and vertical loading rates (P < 0.013) after running retraining. PPA values were four times that of PPA for both walking and running suggesting an uncoupling of the shoe with tibia. As such, PPA was not correlated with vertical loading rates for either walking or running, while significant correlations between PPA and vertical loading rates were noted. The present study suggests potential limitations of the existing commercial shoe-mounted sensors.
实时生物反馈步态再训练已被报道为一种降低步态中冲击负荷的有效干预措施。虽然许多以前的步态再训练研究都使用了基于实验室的设置，但有些研究使用固定在胫骨远端的加速度计来允许在实验室环境之外进行训练。然而，许多用于步态矫正的商业传感器都是安装在鞋子上的。因此，本研究旨在比较使用鞋上传感器的信号源进行行走或跑步再训练前后，鞋上和胫骨传感器测量的冲击负荷参数，以比较鞋上（PPA）和胫骨（PPA）的峰值正加速度与垂直加载率之间的相关性，因为这些加载率与损伤有关。24 名和 14 名参与者分别接受了为期 2 周的视觉生物反馈行走和跑步再训练。在干预后，行走再训练组的参与者的 PPA 降低（P < 0.005）。然而，他们在行走再训练后，PPA（P = 0.409）和垂直加载率（P > 0.098）没有变化。相比之下，在跑步再训练组中，参与者在跑步再训练后，PPA（P = 0.001）和垂直加载率（P < 0.013）降低。PPA 值是行走和跑步的 PPA 值的四倍，这表明鞋子与胫骨之间存在解耦。因此，PPA 与行走或跑步的垂直加载率均不相关，而 PPA 与垂直加载率之间存在显著相关性。本研究表明了现有商用鞋上传感器的潜在局限性。
