We have located links that may give you full text access.
Evaluation of the Effect of Gait Aids, Such as Canes, Crutches, and Walkers, on the Accuracy of Step Counters in Healthy Individuals.
Background: Wearable step-counter devices have become inexpensive tools that enable patients, researchers, and clinicians to objectively monitor physical activity. It is unknown how the use of gait aids, such as canes, crutches, and walkers, affects the accuracy of these devices. Such gait aids are commonly used by patients with chronic physical impairment and after joint-replacement surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of gait aids on the accuracy of wearable step counters.
Methods: Nine healthy participants wore a Fitbit step counter on their wrist and hip and performed eight walking tests with canes, crutches, and walkers. Bland-Altman analyses were performed for all eight walking tests in order to compare agreement between measurement techniques.
Results: Mean overall agreement for subjects walking without gait aids in the hip group was excellent, showing a bias of -2.9, with limits of agreement (LOAs) between -8.72 and 2.95. For use of canes or crutches, the Bland-Altman plots had a range of bias values between the hip and wrist counters from -7.22 to 33.56, with LOAs from -98.55 to 124.2. The wrist counter during the four-wheeled walking test showed very little agreement with the actual step count, with a bias value of 91.33 and LOAs of 64.1-118.6, illustrating exceptionally unreliable step counts.
Conclusion: This study suggests that these widely commercially available step counters have poor reliability with gait aids, especially walkers, which should be taken into account in research and clinical settings.
Methods: Nine healthy participants wore a Fitbit step counter on their wrist and hip and performed eight walking tests with canes, crutches, and walkers. Bland-Altman analyses were performed for all eight walking tests in order to compare agreement between measurement techniques.
Results: Mean overall agreement for subjects walking without gait aids in the hip group was excellent, showing a bias of -2.9, with limits of agreement (LOAs) between -8.72 and 2.95. For use of canes or crutches, the Bland-Altman plots had a range of bias values between the hip and wrist counters from -7.22 to 33.56, with LOAs from -98.55 to 124.2. The wrist counter during the four-wheeled walking test showed very little agreement with the actual step count, with a bias value of 91.33 and LOAs of 64.1-118.6, illustrating exceptionally unreliable step counts.
Conclusion: This study suggests that these widely commercially available step counters have poor reliability with gait aids, especially walkers, which should be taken into account in research and clinical settings.
Full text links
Related Resources
Trending Papers
Challenges in Septic Shock: From New Hemodynamics to Blood Purification Therapies.Journal of Personalized Medicine 2024 Februrary 4
Molecular Targets of Novel Therapeutics for Diabetic Kidney Disease: A New Era of Nephroprotection.International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2024 April 4
Perioperative echocardiographic strain analysis: what anesthesiologists should know.Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia 2024 April 11
The 'Ten Commandments' for the 2023 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for the management of endocarditis.European Heart Journal 2024 April 18
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app