Unrestricted stride detection during stair climbing using IMUs

Medical Engineering & Physics, vol. 92, pp. 10–17

Abstract

Stride detection, or the identification of the initial (IC) and terminal contact (TC) of the feet while walking, is important for gait analysis. Automatic stride detection based only on kinematic data is challenging, even when using portable, low-cost, user-friendly Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). Although there are algorithms for straight walking available, they are often not applicable to other movement patterns. Furthermore, these algorithms are based on the use of different IMUs placed on different locations of the body with different pre-processing filters and rely on analyzing different measurement signals. Therefore, it is difficult to apply existing algorithms for specific study settings. To achieve a new algorithm, thirty-five healthy participants were analyzed during walking and stair climbing while kinematic motion data was measured using the IMU system MyoMotion. Based on the analysis of different published methods for IC and TC detection, a new robust stride detection algorithm was developed and validated in comparison with two different algorithms. From this, it was determined that the newly developed algorithm was successful in automatic stride detection during walking and ascending/ descending stairs with 100% detected gait events, while the other algorithms failed during stair climbing with only 44% and 91% detected gait events.

Authors 7

1. Hannah Lena Siebers corresponding Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany. Electronic address: hsiebers@ukaachen.de

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

2. Nad Siroros Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

3. Waleed Alrawashdeh Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

4. Filippo Migliorini Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

5. Markus Tingart Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

6. Jörg Eschweiler Aachen Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

   Universitätsklinikum Aachen · RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany

7. Marcel Betsch

   University of Toronto · Heidelberg University · Women's College Hospital · University Medical Centre Mannheim · Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim

   Affiliation as printed

   University of Toronto Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Program (UTOSM), Women´s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Mannheim of the University Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

   Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, University Medical Center Mannheim of the University Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

   University of Toronto Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Program (UTOSM), Women´s College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada