Appropriate Location of an Accelerometer for Gait Analysis: A Comparative Study Based on Cross-correlation Coefficients

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the most appropriate location of an accelerometer used for gait analysis. [Subjects] Fifteen healthy male volunteers participated in this study. [Methods] The trunk acceleration and ground reaction force (GRF) during normal walking were measured using accelerometers attached at the level of the tenth thoracic vertebrae (Th10), third lumbar vertebrae (L3) and second sacral vertebrae (S2). Cross-correlation coefficient (CC) were used to determine how reasonable GRF values estimated using accelerometers on the trunk were. The CCs of GRFs in the vertical (VT), anterior-posterior (AP) and mediolateral (MR) directions were compared between the 3 locations. [Results] The CCs in the VT and AP directions at L3 were significantly higher than those at the other 2 locations. However, the CC in the ML direction was low in all locations. [Conclusion] The pattern of trunk acceleration at the level of L3 was similar to that of GRF.