Accelerometry-based Assessment and Detection of Early Signs of Balance Deficits

Falls are the cause for more than half of the injury-related hospitalizations among older people. Accurate assessment of individuals ’ fall risk could enable targeted interventions to reduce the risk. This paper presents a novel method for using wearable accelerometers to detect early signs of deficits in balance from gait. Gait acceleration data were analyzed from 35 healthy female participants (73.86 ± 5.40 years). The data were collected with waist-mounted accelerometer and the participants performed three supervised balance tests: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG) and 4 m walk.
Source: Computers in Biology and Medicine - Category: Bioinformatics Authors: Source Type: research