Komaris Dimitrios-Sokratis, Tarfali Georgia, O'Flynn Brendan, Tedesco Salvatore
Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Lee Maltings Complex Dyke Parade, Cork, T12 R5CP, Ireland.
School of Health Sciences, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, Scotland.
BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2022 Feb 19;14(1):28. doi: 10.1186/s13102-022-00417-1.
The benefits to be obtained from home-based physical therapy programmes are dependent on the proper execution of physiotherapy exercises during unsupervised treatment. Wearable sensors and appropriate movement-related metrics may be used to determine at-home exercise performance and compliance to a physical therapy program.
A total of thirty healthy volunteers (mean age of 31 years) had their movements captured using wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs), after video recordings of five different exercises with varying levels of complexity were demonstrated to them. Participants were then given wearable sensors to enable a second unsupervised data capture at home. Movement performance between the participants' recordings was assessed with metrics of movement smoothness, intensity, consistency and control.
In general, subjects executed all exercises similarly when recording at home and as compared with their performance in the lab. However, participants executed all movements faster compared to the physiotherapist's demonstrations, indicating the need of a wearable system with user feedback that will set the pace of movement.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the imperative transition towards remote consultation and tele-rehabilitation, this work aims to promote new tools and methods for the assessment of adherence to home-based physical therapy programmes. The studied IMU-derived features have shown adequate sensitivity to evaluate home-based programmes in an unsupervised manner. Cost-effective wearables, such as the one presented in this study, can support therapeutic exercises that ought to be performed with appropriate speed, intensity, smoothness and range of motion.
在家进行物理治疗计划所获得的益处取决于在无人监督的治疗过程中物理治疗练习的正确执行。可穿戴传感器和适当的与运动相关的指标可用于确定在家中的运动表现以及对物理治疗计划的依从性。
向30名健康志愿者（平均年龄31岁）展示了五个不同复杂程度的练习的视频记录后，使用可穿戴惯性测量单元（IMU）捕捉他们的动作。然后为参与者提供可穿戴传感器，以便在家中进行第二次无人监督的数据采集。通过运动平滑度、强度、一致性和控制等指标评估参与者记录之间的运动表现。
总体而言，受试者在家中记录时与在实验室中的表现相比，执行所有练习的方式相似。然而，与物理治疗师的示范相比，参与者执行所有动作的速度更快，这表明需要一个带有用户反馈的可穿戴系统来设定运动节奏。
鉴于新冠疫情以及向远程咨询和远程康复的必要转变，这项工作旨在推广用于评估对家庭物理治疗计划依从性的新工具和方法。所研究的源自IMU的特征已显示出足够的敏感性，能够以无人监督的方式评估家庭治疗计划。具有成本效益的可穿戴设备，如本研究中展示的设备，可以支持应以适当速度、强度、平滑度和运动范围进行的治疗性练习。
