From Research to the Clinic: Using Technology to Measure Gait in Neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neurorehabilitation research utilizes wearable technology (WT) and mobile phone apps (MPA) to measure gait and walking activity in people with various neurological conditions. Despite physical therapists' perceptions that WT is useful, the reported use of WT in clinical practice remains low. The purpose of this brief review is to discuss the advantages of WT and MPA for gait assessment in the clinical setting, highlight WT and MPA that are available for clinical use, and acknowledge the limitations and future potential of these technologies in patient care. SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS: WT and MPA provide objective assessments of gait characteristics or physical activity that is low-cost, easy to use, and a beneficial adjunct to traditional clinical methods. There are several WT and MPA that have been validated in persons with neurological conditions and help identify gait impairments and discriminate fallers from non-fallers. Although additional research is needed to overcome continued barriers to use in clinical practice, WT and MPA have potential as tools to provide objective feedback to patients and influence clinical decision making. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: There are many advantages to using WT or MPA to measure gait and walking activity in persons with neurologic conditions. We anticipate that these technologies will only become more pervasive in research and practice and recommend that clinicians consider applying these technologies in their own practice.