Symmetry and regularity of gait in transfemoral amputees assessed by autocorrelation of body-fixed sensor signals

The optimal use of lower limb prostheses is a difficult task, often requiring a long training period. A critical issue is verifying if the walking pattern learned by the patient under the supervision of a physiotherapist is maintained after the training, when the patient is walking on his own. The development of an automated wearable system, the Virtual Gait Trainer, able to monitor the patient’s walking patterns and possibly providing biofeedback in the case of deviation from the optimal gait would be of great value. First step toward the development of such system is the quantitative assessment of gait performances, such as gait regularity, through wearable inertial sensors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the regularity of gait in patients wearing a lower-limb prosthesis using wearable inertial sensors.