Gait Tracking Applications of APDM Equipment in Physical Therapy and Clinical Settings

Posted May 24, 2017

While gait and balance disorders are especially common in older adults, they can – and do – affect people of all ages. Treatments for these conditions vary based on the root cause of the issue, but often include medications and physical therapy utilizing gait and balance tracking and analysis technologies such as those produced by APDM.

APDM’s Wearable Gait and Balance Sensors Are Helping Improve the Assessment Accuracy of Rehabilitation

APDM’s innovative, meticulously engineered wearable Opal sensors are the ultimate solution for quantifying human movement, both for the purposes of research on movement disorders and for general wellness and treatment applications. APDM’s Mobility Lab system has set the new standard for gait and balance analysis, hence the reason it’s used and praised worldwide in a wide range of clinical settings.

APDM’s Mobility Lab was the first portable gait and balance assessment system designed for wellness and research. It was designed to make it easier than ever for clinicians, rehab specialists and researchers to accurately assess gait and balance and collect, store and analyze highly detailed data.

Some of the Many Advantages of APDM’s Wearable Movement Technologies in Rehab Settings:

Helps providers and therapists track patient progress throughout treatment
Immediate feedback enables providers to adjust the focus of treatment accordingly and ultimately improve treatment outcomes
Tracks data and provides detailed feedback in terms of how, specifically, the treatment is helping the patient and/or could be improved
Provides both quantitative and qualitative data so that even patients with high levels of performance/activity can identify areas of improvement (and also prevent decline)

How APDM’s Research-Grade Wearable Technologies Work

All physical therapists and rehab specialists need to do is attach the small, comfortable, wireless Opal sensors to the appropriate region(s) of the patient’s body – which varies depending on the cause and extent of each patient’s gait and balance issues – and instruct them to perform one of the many standardized tests which the Mobility Lab analyzes. Once he or she has performed the test, the system automatically generates a detailed report, allowing the therapist to compare the patient’s mobility results against normal values (i.e. patients without gait or balance issues) in real time.

This entire process, from the initial test instructions to the end report, takes less than five minutes to complete. Its speed, combined with its ability to deliver sensitive, precise and reliable outcome measures, are just a few of the many reasons it’s the most trusted sensor-based gait and balance analysis system on the market, in addition to being used by over 500 hospitals and prestigious universities worldwide.

Choose APDM for Best-in-Class Customized Gait and Balance Analysis Technologies

In addition to being the most trusted provider of sensor-based gait and balance analysis equipment, APDM is also proud to boast a team of renowned experts in physical therapy, signal processing, embedded systems and web-based data management for clinical settings. We are unwavering in our commitment to helping clinicians, physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists obtain rich, precise data regarding their patients’ gait issues to ensure accurate assessment and effective treatments.

To learn more about our cutting-edge gait analysis products or to speak with one of our knowledgeable experts about customizing a wearable technology solution to meet you or your patients’ unique needs, contact us online today. We look forward to the opportunity to share with you the wide range of gait and balance tracking applications of our equipment and demonstrate why our technologies are at the forefront of human movement monitoring.

To stay current with all the latest news, events and technology developments from APDM, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and YouTube. You can also visit us at the GCMAS Annual Meeting May 23-25 in Salt Lake City, Utah, or at ISB 2017 July 23-27 in Brisbane, Australia.

http://www.healthline.com/symptom/gait-abnormality
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2010/0701/p61.html
https://apdm.wpengine.com/wearable-sensors/

Mancini, et al. “Mobility Lab to Assess Balance and Gait with Synchronized Body-worn Sensors.” Bioengineering & Biomedical Science. Emerging Technology for Use in Rehabilitation Issue. 2012

Horak, et al. “Role of Body-Worn Movement Monitor Technology for Balance and Gait Rehabilitation.” Physical Therapy. 2014