A Simple Minimum-Setup Pipeline for Using Leg-Worn Inertial Sensors to Track Knee Flexion: Validation on 10 Movements

Knee motion is a key biomarker in chronic musculoskeletal diseases, yet conventional in-lab optical motion capture falls short of identifying how knee motion continuously impacts joint health outside the lab. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) provides a clinically attractive approach for continuous real-world motion tracking. Our goal was to establish a clinically practical, minimum-setup pipeline for leg-worn IMUs to estimate knee flexion and determine its concurrent validity to optical motion capture during various knee movements. We recorded thigh and shank-worn IMU data with concurrent marker-based and markerless optical motion capture on 10 healthy adults, who performed 10 common movements including walking, running, and stair navigation. We combined IMU functional alignment with data fusion to estimate knee flexion during each movement and compared IMU-based estimate against both motion capture systems using Pearson correlation (Rxy) and root-mean-square difference (RMSD). IMU-estimated knee flexion strongly correlated with motion capture (Rxy ≥ 0.9). RMSDs were smaller for slower movements like walking (RMSD = 4.4–6.0°) while larger during faster movements like running (RMSD = 5.4–9.4°). Wearable IMUs track knee flexion with comparable results to motion capture during daily activities typical to older adults, highlighting their potential for continuous patient monitoring. Our simple pipeline makes IMU-based knee motion tracking more practical and compatible with clinical research. Future research should seek IMU-wearing best practices to secure clinically meaningful data on real-world knee mobility.