Quantifying Gait and Posture in Geriatric Inpatients Using Inertial Sensors and Posturography: A Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study uses sensors to measure gait and posture in elderly hospitalized patients, finding that gait analysis reveals more mobility issues than postural measures.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel cross-sectional analysis combining inertial sensors and posturography to quantify geriatric mobility and its clinical associations.

Findings

Gait parameters showed more frequent deviations from reference values compared to postural parameters.

Walking speed was most strongly correlated with the Tinetti score, indicating functional mobility.

Postural stability was consistently reduced in geriatric patients compared to reference data.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Mobility screening is standard practice in hospitalized geriatric patients, but clinical assessments alone may not fully capture functional capacity and related risks. This study aimed to describe the physical performance (gait analysis, postural stability and regulation) and clinical–functional status (e.g., Tinetti [TIN], Barthel Index [BI]) in geriatric inpatients, and to explore associations between measures from different domains. Methods: Fifty-five geriatric inpatients (mean age: 84.3 ± 5.47 years, range: 71–97; 49% female) underwent spatiotemporal gait analysis (inertial sensor system/RehaGait) and posturography (Interactive Balance System). Clinical assessments included TIN, BI, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). Gait and postural data were compared with age-, sex-, and height-adjusted reference values. Results: Clinical data indicated a low fall risk (TIN: 24), moderate functional independence (BI: 54), and moderate frailty (CFS: 5). Deviations from reference values were more frequent in gait parameters (18/50%) than in postural parameters (6/17%), with postural stability consistently reduced. The largest differences for the geriatric patients compared with the reference gait data were found for stride length, walking speed, double and single support, roll-off angle, and landing angle. TIN showed the strongest correlation with walking speed (r = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22–0.67), a relationship unaffected by gender (partial r = 0.52). Conclusions: Gait assessment revealed greater performance deficits than postural measures in this cohort.

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