정상인의 보행시 보행분석을 위한 스마트폰 어플리케이션의 타당성 연구

Study of Validity Using a Smartphone Application for Gai t Analysis During Walking in Healthy Adults

In gait analysis, accelerometers are used to measure movement in three dimensions based on the three axes passing through the body’s center of mass point. Recently, smartphones have developed gait analysis system applications to evaluate spatiotemporal parameters of walking ability. This study aimed to investigate the usability of a smartphone accelerometer for gait analysis in healthy adults by analyzing correlations between the movement of the center of mass and gait parameters. Method: In this study, gait evaluation was performed on 50 adults using plantar pressure and an application on a smartphone with an inbuilt accelerometer simultaneously. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to compare the correlation of variables from the smartphone application. Results: There was a statistically significant correlation (p<0.05) between movement of the center of mass as measured by the smartphone application and gait parameters (step length, stride length, step width, midstance, pre-swing, double stance phase, and velocity). Moreover, there was a statistically significant correlation (p<0.05) between the parameters measured by the smartphone application (duration, gait speed, step length, cadence, and bilateral symmetry) and the measured gait parameters (step length, stride length, step time, stride time, cadence, and velocity). Conclusion: This study showed the potential for a smartphone application to be a useful tool to evaluate gait. Therefore, if a smartphone accelerometer and a program with proven reliability were developed, gait analysis could be performed more conveniently and efficiently in clinical practice.