FeetMe® Monitor-connected insoles are a valid and reliable alternative for the evaluation of gait speed after stroke

• Published in: Topics in stroke rehabilitation Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 127 - 134
• Main Authors: Farid, Leila, Jacobs, Damien, Do Santos, Johana, Simon, Olivier, Gracies, Jean-Michel, Hutin, Emilie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 17.02.2021
• Subjects: FeetMe® Monitor; gait; GAITRite; rehabilitation; stroke; rehabilitation; gait; GAITRite; stroke; FeetMe® Monitor
• ISSN: 1074-9357; 1945-5119
• DOI: 10.1080/10749357.2020.1792717

One of the main challenges after stroke is gait recovery. To provide patients with an individualized rehabilitation program, it is helpful to have real-life objective evaluations at baseline and at regular follow-ups to adjust the program and verify potential improvements. To evaluate the accuracy and reliability of a fully stand-alone system of connected insoles (FeetMe® Monitor) against a widely used clinical walkway system (GAITRite®). Twenty-nine subjects with a stroke that occurred >6 months prior participated in the study. Their comfortable gait over three 8-m trials was evaluated by four raters, on Day 1 and Day 7, using simultaneously FeetMe® Monitor and GAITRite®. Velocity, stride length, cadence, stance, and swing duration were calculated on both sides over three sequences of gait: one single stride, 8 m, and three 8-m trials pooled. The Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and the Bland-Altman plot evaluated the construct validity (inter-device) and the reliability (test-retest and inter-rater) of FeetMe® Monitor. Through all gait analysis sequences, the inter-device ICCs were >0.95 for velocity, stride length, and cadence. Ranges of inter-device ICCs were [0.77-0.94] for stance duration for both limbs, and for swing duration [0.32-0.57] on the non-paretic side and [0.75-0.90] on the paretic side. Test-retest and inter-rater ICCs for all parameters were >0.73 for one single stride, >0.88 for 8-m trials and >0.94 for three 8-m trials. FeetMe® Monitor is an accurate and reliable system for measurement of gait velocity, stride length, cadence, and stance duration in chronic hemiparesis.