Measuring Gait Differences Between Patients With Gait Disorders and Healthy Volunteers Using Wearable Sensors

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are examining differences in walking patterns between patients with gait disorders and healthy volunteers using wearable sensors in a cross-sectional observational study. The study is conducted at a single center within the Rehabilitation Department of IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele. It involves collecting routine gait rehabilitation data from patients and additional gait data from healthy volunteers matched by age and sex. Participants include 50 patients undergoing standard clinical gait rehabilitation and 50 healthy volunteers who complete three 18-meter walking sessions wearing inertial measurement units IMUs on the trunk, thighs, shanks, and feet, along with surface electromyography EMG sensors on key leg muscles. No changes are made to patient treatment protocols the study purely observes and extracts data from these sessions. Participants will undergo gait assessments involving sensor measurements to capture joint range of motion, step timing, walking speed, and muscle activation patterns. Data analysis compares these parameters between patients and healthy volunteers using statistical tests. The primary outcome is the difference in joint movement degrees measured by sensors at a single time point. The study runs from March 2026 to January 2028.

Quantifying Gait Disorders With Wearable Sensors