Abstract
[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to validate a method for analyzing gait patterns determined by the center of mass (CoM) using an accelerometer. [Subjects and Methods] A tri-axial accelerometer was attached to the lower back of 11 healthy young males. Vertical and lateral CoM displacement were assessed using the accelerometer and a 3D motion capture system under 8 different walking conditions. The validity of the accelerometer-based CoM was evaluated by comparison with the motion capture-based CoM using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. [Results] ICCs corresponding to inter-rater reliability were good-to-excellent for vertical CoM displacement (0.73-0.94) and fair-to-good for lateral CoM displacement (0.31-0.71). However, Bland-Altman analysis revealed systematic bias, in which accelerometer-based CoM was overestimated. [Conclusion] The motion of the CoM measured by this accelerometer fixed to the trunk can be used for simplified analysis of human locomotion. The results demonstrate the great potential in clinical practice of accelerometry as a user-friendly, cost-effective and valid gait analysis tool.
