@article { author = {Rezaie, Mohammad Reza and Tahmasebi, Tahmoures and Hassanzadeh, Akbar}, title = {Can a Smartphone be used for Balance Assessment during Walking in Lower Limb Amputees?}, journal = {Journal of Rehabilitation Sciences & Research}, volume = {7}, number = {2}, pages = {47-53}, year = {2020}, publisher = {Shiraz University of Medical Sciences}, issn = {2345-6167}, eissn = {2345-6159}, doi = {10.30476/jrsr.2020.84956.1073}, abstract = {Background:Nowadays, smartphones are equipped with an accelerometer module that can measure and record the body linear accelerations during walking. The aims of this study were: 1) reliability assessment of smartphone accelerometer for trunk accelerometry; 2) comparison of stability indices base on trunk accelerometry between the amputee and able-bodied subjects; and 3) comparison between energy storage and release (ESR) and multi-axis prosthetic feet users. Methods: Eleven below-knee amputees (5 multi-axis and 6 ESR prosthetic feet) and 11 able-bodied subjects enrolled in this comparative study. The dynamic stability was assessed using a smartphone attached to their back through an elastic belt during walking in a 6-m walkway. Also, normalized root mean squares (nRMS) of mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) directions were calculated as stability indices. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), SEM%, and Bland-Altman plots were used for reliability analysis. The Independent T-test was also used to compare the healthy and amputee subjects as well as ESR and multiaxis prosthetic feet users. The critical alpha was set at 0.05. Results: The results showed that the accelerometer has the ICC values more than 0.97 and 0.89 for test-retest and inter-session, respectively. Amputees had significantly higher trunk accelerations in ML direction compared to able-bodied subjects (p=0.023) but not in AP direction (p=0.496). Although the results were not significant between ESR and multi-axis prosthetic feet (AP P= 0.16, ML P=0.44), the AP stability index was higher in ESR users (AP Multi-axis=117.45, ESR=127.38). Conclusion: The smartphone can be used as a reliable measurement tool in clinical environments to assess the stability indices based on trunk accelerometry in transtibial amputees. More studies should be conducted to obtain more reliable results.}, keywords = {Amputees,Stability,Smartphone,Accelerometry,Reliability analysis}, url = {https://jrsr.sums.ac.ir/article_46386.html}, eprint = {https://jrsr.sums.ac.ir/article_46386_f9b0f8479d848bc15c6cb4bcadcd882c.pdf} }