Wearable sensors for gait analysis in the clinical setting: rehabilitation outcomes measures after vestibular Schwannoma surgery

Gait analysis is widely used to study human locomotion, both in normal and pathological function. Wearable sensor systems represent the most innovative solution to perform gait analysis “out of the lab” (in outdoor space, elderly dwelling, gyms, and medical ambulatories), without volume constraints, and hence with the possibility to analyze a large number of strides in each test session. A direct-measure wearable sensor system based on foot-switches, joint electrogoniometers and surface electromyographic probes was used to evaluate gait performance of patients who underwent vestibular schwannoma surgery and suffered balance disorders. More specifically, gait analysis was performed before and after a 4-week vestibular rehabilitation program to objectively verify the treatment efficacy for each specific patient. The ease of use of the system allowed the clinical personnel to acquire all the gait signals directly in the hospital ambulatory, and to autonomously interpret extracted gait parameters, with no direct aid from specialized technical staff.