Gait asymmetrical evaluation of lower limb amputees using wearable inertial sensors
Hafiz Farhan Maqbool,
Imran Mahmood,
Ahmad Ali,
Nadeem Iqbal,
Jin-Taek Seong,
Abbas Ali Dehghani-Sanij,
Sundas Naji Alaziz,
Mohammed Ibrahim Awad
Affiliations
Hafiz Farhan Maqbool
Department of Mechanical, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering, UET Lahore, FC, Punjab, Pakistan; Human-centered Robotics (HCR) Lab of National Center of Robotics and Automation, Lahore, Pakistan; Corresponding author. Department of Mechanical, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering, UET Lahore, FC, Punjab, Pakistan
Imran Mahmood
Department of Mechanical, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering, UET Lahore, FC, Punjab, Pakistan
Ahmad Ali
Department of Mechanical, Mechatronics and Manufacturing Engineering, UET Lahore, FC, Punjab, Pakistan
Nadeem Iqbal
Department of Computer Science, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, KP, Pakistan; Division of Computer Science, Mathematics and Science, Collins College of Professional Studies, St John's University, USA
Jin-Taek Seong
Graduate School of Data Science, Chonnam National University, Gwanju, 61186, South Korea; Corresponding author.
Abbas Ali Dehghani-Sanij
School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Sundas Naji Alaziz
Department of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O.Box 84428, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Ibrahim Awad
Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
This study presents an analysis and evaluation of gait asymmetry (GA) based on the temporal gait parameters identified using a portable gait event detection system, placed on the lateral side of the shank of both lower extremities of the participants. Assessment of GA was carried out with seven control subjects (CS), one transfemoral amputee (TFA) and one transtibial amputee (TTA) while walking at different speeds on overground (OG) and treadmill (TM). Gait cycle duration (GCD), stance phase duration (SPD), swing phase duration (SwPD), and the sub-phases of the gait cycle (GC) such as Loading-Response (LR), Foot-Flat (FF), and Push-Off (PO), Swing-1 (SW-1) and Swing-2 (SW-2) were evaluated. The results revealed that GCD showed less asymmetry as compared to other temporal parameters in both groups. A significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed between the groups for SPD and SwPD with lower limb amputees (LLA) having a longer stance and shorter swing phase for their intact side compared to their amputated side, resulting, large GA for TFA compared to CS and TTA. The findings could potentially contribute towards a better understanding of gait characteristics in LLA and provide a guide in the design and control of lower limb prosthetics/orthotics.
