Analyzing walking speeds with ankle and wrist worn accelerometers in a cohort with myotonic dystrophy.

CONCLUSIONS: GENEActiv demonstrated to be valid and reliable, capable of detecting walking periods and discriminating different speeds. However, inter-accelerometer reliability only applied when comparing opposite sides of the same limb. Specific movement characteristics of the myotonic dystrophy group were identified and muscle strength showed not to be a full determinant of limb acceleration. Implications for rehabilitation Rehabilitation professionals in the field of neuromuscular disorders should be aware of the potential use of objective monitoring tools such as accelerometers whilst acknowledging the implications of assessing populations with altered movement patterns. Researchers should be cautious when translating accelerometry outputs previously validated in healthy populations to functionally impaired cohorts like myotonic dystrophy. Accelerometers can objectively expose movement disturbances allowing further investigations for the source of these disturbances. PMID: 29987963 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Disability and Rehabilitation - Category: Rehabilitation Authors: Tags: Disabil Rehabil Source Type: research