A smartphone app with telemedicine capability integrating data from foot-mounted inertial measurement units CuPiD-system was developed to realize a portable gait analysis system and, on top of it, to provide people with Parkinson's disease PD remote supervision and real-time feedback on gait performance. Eleven persons with PD were recommended to perform gait training for 30i¾źmin, three times per week for six weeks. The app offered praising/corrective verbal feedback, encouraging participants to keep the spatio-temporal gait parameters within a clinically determined 'therapeutic window'. On average, persons performed 20 training sessions of 1.8i¾źkm in 24i¾źmin and received 28 corrective and 68 praising messages. The mean walking rhythm was 58 strides/min with a stride length of 1.28i¾źm. System's usability was determined as positive by the users. In conclusion, CuPiD resulted to be effective in promoting gait training in semi-supervised conditions, stimulating corrective actions and promoting self-efficacy to achieve optimal performance.
['Alberto Ferrari', 'Pieter Ginis', 'Alice Nieuwboer', 'Reynold Greenlaw', 'Andrew Muddiman', 'Lorenzo Chiari']
Handling Gait Impairments of Persons with Parkinson's Disease by Means of Real-Time Biofeedback in a Daily Life Environment