Gait analysis in neurological populations: Progression in the use of wearables

Gait assessment is an essential tool for clinical applications not only to diagnose different neurological conditions but also to monitor disease progression as it contributes to the understanding of underlying deficits. There are established methods and models for data collection and interpretation of gait assessment within different pathologies. This narrative review aims to depict the evolution of gait assessment from observation and rating scales to wearable sensors and laboratory technologies and provide limitations and possible future directions in the field of gait assessment. In this context, we first present an extensive review of current clinical outcomes and gait models. Then, we demonstrate commercially available wearable technologies with their technical capabilities along with their use in gait assessment studies for various neurological conditions. In the next sections, a descriptive knowledge for existing inertial and EMG based algorithms and a sign based guide that shows the outcomes of previous neurological gait assessment studies are presented. Finally, we state a discussion for the use of wearables in gait assessment and speculate the possible research directions by revealing the limitations and knowledge gaps in the literature. (C) 2020 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Gait assessment is crucial in clinical settings for diagnosing and monitoring neurological conditions, with established methods and models for data collection and interpretation. This review depicts the evolution of gait assessment, from observation to wearable sensors, and discusses limitations and future directions in the field. Commercially available technologies and algorithms for neurological gait assessment are presented, along with discussions on the use of wearables and possible research directions.