title: Mobility Lab to Assess Balance and Gait with Synchronized Body-worn Sensors.
abstract: This paper is a commentary to introduce how rehabilitation professionals can use a new, body-worn sensor system to obtain objective measures of balance and gait. Current assessments of balance and gait in clinical rehabilitation are largely limited to subjective scales, simple stop-watch measures, or complex, expensive machines not practical or largely available. Although accelerometers and gyroscopes have been shown to accurately quantify many aspects of gait and balance kinematics, only recently a comprehensive, portable system has become available for clinicians. By measuring body motion during tests that clinicians are already performing, such as the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and the Clinical Test of Sensory Integration for Balance (CITSIB), the additional time for assessment is minimal. By providing instant analysis of balance and gait and comparing a patient's performance to age-matched control values, therapists receive an objective, sensitive screening profile of balance and gait strategies. This motion screening profile can be used to identify mild abnormalities not obvious with traditional clinical testing, measure small changes due to rehabilitation, and design customized rehabilitation programs for each individual's specific balance and gait deficits.
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
authors: Martina
authors: M
authors: Mancini
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
authors: Laurie
authors: L
authors: King
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA.
authors: Arash
authors: A
authors: Salarian
authors: APDM Inc, Portland, OR 97201 USA.
authors: Lars
authors: L
authors: Holmstrom
authors: APDM Inc, Portland, OR 97201 USA.
authors: James
authors: J
authors: McNames
authors: Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA ; APDM Inc, Portland, OR 97201 USA.
authors: Fay B
authors: FB
authors: Horak