Changes in Pelvic Mobility Across Three Axes During Walking with Different Cueing Strategies: A Pilot Study

Objective: To investigate the effects of various cueing strategies on three-dimensional pelvic mobility (tilt, obliquity, and rotation) during walking, and assess their potential for gait optimization in rehabilitation and wearable robotics. Design: A pilot study involving a within-subject design was conducted to compare baseline walking patterns with walking patterns influenced by nine different cueing strategies. Methods: Five participants were recruited for two 10-meter walking trials under nine different cueing conditions and a baseline condition. Speed and pelvic motion across tilt, obliquity, and rotation were recorded using a wearable Inertial measurement unit (IMU) device (BTS G-Sensor 2, BTS Bioengineering, Korea) at the sacral level (S1-S2). The data were analyzed to measure changes in pelvic mobility across the three axes under each cueing condition. Results: Cueing strategies elicited distinct changes in pelvic motion. Cues such as “Lift your knees high as you walk”, “Swing your arms widely back and forth as you walk” and “Take larger strides as you walk” significantly increased pelvic rotation range compared to baseline, while “Engage your hip as you walk” decreased mobility across all axes. Conclusions: Cueing strategies have a measurable effect on three-axis pelvic mobility during walking, providing foundational data for gait optimization in rehabilitation and wearable robotics. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings and explore their application in clinical and robotic interventions in diverse populations.