APDM Wearable Technologies

01/23/2019

Researchers at Rutgers University are using multi-modal sensors to track biophysical signals from the nervous system during dance. They revealed the dynamically evolving coupled cohesiveness of two bodies in motion. Could this change the way dance is taught?

Dyadic interactions are ubiquitous in our lives, yet they are highly challenging to study. Many subtle aspects of coupled bodily dynamics continuously unfolding during such exchanges have not been empirically parameterized. As such, we have no formal ...

01/16/2019

Italian researchers found that therapists using wearable sensors had better neurorehabilitation outcomes for children with cerebral palsy. Is your doctor using wearable technology to create a patient-tailored rehabilitation plan?

Background. Despite the increasing use of wearable magnetoinertial measurement units (MIMUs) for gait analysis, the efficacy of MIMU-based assessment for planning rehabilitation has not been adequately documented yet. Methods. The usefulness of a MIMU-based assessment was evaluated comparing the dat...

01/09/2019

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) impacts 3 million children worldwide every year, which challenges their dynamic stability during gait. A gait training program for children should consider cognitive rehabilitation to address markedly greater dual-task costs after TBI.

01/02/2019

Colorado State University discovered a fundamental shift in motor cortex inhibition and lower extremity control that demonstrates age-related differences. Older adults with increased intracortical inhibition had better walking performance, while young adults did better with decreased inhibition.

Interlimb coordination and gait performance diminish with age, posing a risk for gait-related injuries. Further, levels of inhibition within the motor…

12/26/2018

670 elderly adults who had fallen in the past year enrolled in a tai ji quan balance training intervention, a conventional exercise class, or a stretching class. Tai ji quan was more effective than conventional approaches for reducing the incidence of falls 6 months after the study.

JAMA Intern Med. 2018 Oct 1;178(10):1301-1310. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.3915.

12/12/2018

We all know the dangers of texting and walking, but did you know that people with multiple sclerosis suffer greater dual-task costs? This negatively impacts their ability to walk and texting accuracy decreases.

The objective of the study was to investigate cognitive-motor interference of walking while texting in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). The study included 30 PwMS, mean disease duration 11.8...

12/05/2018

iMOVE therapy allows young children with cerebral palsy to self-initiate motor learning experiences early on when there is the most potiential for neuroplastic change. The iMOVE intervention is now being tested in a clinical trial with 42 particpants.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common cause of physical disability in children. The best opportunity to maximize lifelong independence is early in motor development when there is the most potential for neuroplastic change, but how best to optimize motor ability during this narrow window remains unk...

11/28/2018

Researchers at MIT looked at how spacesuit padding thickness impacts an astronaut's ability to walk and move as current suit fit decisions are based on subjective feedback.

Authors: Fineman, Richard A.; McGrath, Timothy M.; Kelty-Stephen, Damian G.; Abercromby, Andrew F. J.; Stirling, Leia A.

11/21/2018

Researchers at Sheba Medical Center in Tel-Aviv found that people with multiple sclerosis who also had a history of falls exhibited different strategies for transitioning from seated to standing compared to their counterparts without a fear of falling.

Fear of falling (FoF) and actual falling typifies two common complaints in people with MS (PwMS). The objective of our study was to examine the Instru…

11/14/2018

Lipoic acid is an antioxidant effective in animals with multiple sclerosis (MS), but what does it do in humans? A 2-year study of people with MS found that lipoic acid had a positive effect of walking performance.

Gait and balance impairment is common in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). Lipoic acid (LA), an over-the-counter antioxidant, is effect…

11/07/2018

Reduced gait speed is associated with worse executive function and slower information processing speed. Patients with fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) were found to have reduced functional mobility and a greater history of falls.

Gait Posture. 2018 Oct;66:288-293. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2018.09.005. Epub 2018 Sep 12.

11/05/2018

Interested in learning about objective measures of ataxic gait using wearable technology? Don't miss Kristen Sowalsky's poster presentation (471.09 / N1) tomorrow morning at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting.

11/02/2018

Swing by booth 136 at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Conference to learn more about quantifying human movement with Opal wearable sensors, which can aid in the assessment of neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disorders.

APDM in Attendance at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Conference San Diego, California Nov 3-7 Booth # 136   APDM Wearable Technologies is focused on […]

11/01/2018

Join APDM at the Motion Analysis Research Center at Samuel Merritt University tomorrow for a 2-day symposium on the biomechanics of running and clinical implications. Check out the full program and guest speakers here: https://buff.ly/2DgoZex

10/31/2018

The Australian Rehabilitation Research Centre investigated the efficacy of combining high-intensity physiotherapy with cranial-nerve non-invasive neuromodulation using a portable stimulator in a case with cerebellar degeneration to improve gait and balance.

Neuromodulation is a non-invasive or minimally invasive therapy that has been gaining popularity for relieving symptoms and restoring function across a wide range of chronic […]

10/26/2018

Interested in taking your clinical research to the next level? APDM is focused on discovering outcome measures that have clinical significance in the effectiveness of neurorehabilitation. Stop by Booth 06 at this year's American Society of Neurorehabilitation conference to find out more.

APDM in Attendance at the American Society of Neurorehabilitation Annual Conference San Diego, California Nov 1-2 Booth # 06   APDM Wearable Technologies is dedicated to […]

10/24/2018

Researchers at the University of Kansas Medical Center found that during gait, elderly fallers demonstrate more constrained, less adaptable trunk movement relative to their foot movement and that this pattern is different compared to elderly non-fallers and healthy young.

Aging Clin Exp Res. 2018 Sep 7. doi: 10.1007/s40520-018-1036-4. [Epub ahead of print]

10/17/2018

Parkinson's disease patients completed a series of gait tasks designed to elicit freezing of gait in conjunction with subthalamic beta oscillations to evaluate the impact of neuromodulation at different frequencies. Researchers at Stanford University found that gait improved during deep brain stimulation.

Neurobiol Dis. 2018 Dec;120:107-117. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2018.09.004. Epub 2018 Sep 6.