Assessment of Gait and Balance in Elderly Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis Using Inertial Measurement Units

作者：Lin-Yen Cheng, Yu-Huang Chien, Tzu-Tung Lin, Jou-Yu Lin, Hsin-Ti Cheng, Chia-Wei Chang, Szu‐Fu Chen, Fu‐Cheng Wang · 发表于：Sensors · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/s25206288 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention、Diabetic Foot Ulcer Assessment and Management、Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent condition in older adults that often results in impaired gait and balance, increased risk of falls, and reduced quality of life. Conventional clinical assessments may not adequately capture these deficiencies. This study investigated the gait and balance of elderly individuals with knee OA using wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs). Forty-four participants with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2-3 knee OA (71.23 ± 5.75 years) and forty-five age-matched controls (70.87 ± 4.30 years) completed dynamic balance (balance board), static balance (single-leg stance), 'timed up and go' (TUG), and normal walking tasks. Between 2 and 8 IMUs, depending on the task, were placed on the head, chest, waist, knees, ankles, soles, and balance board to record kinematic data. Balance was quantified using absolute angular velocity and linear acceleration, with group differences analyzed by MANOVA and Bonferroni-adjusted univariate tests. The participants with knee OA exhibited greater gait asymmetry, although the difference was not significant. However, they consistently demonstrated higher absolute angular velocities than controls across most body segments during static and dynamic tasks, indicating reduced postural stability. No group differences were observed in TUG performance. These findings suggest that IMU-based measures, particularly angular velocity, are sensitive to balance impairment detection in knee OA. Incorporating IMU technology into clinical a...