Feasibility study of inertial sensors technology on the pelvic and trunk kinematics during horseback riding in children

Abstract

Inertial sensors technology (IMU) has been utilized to determine kinematic data for some outdoor activities. Horseback riding (HR) is an alternative treatment that has been reported to be beneficial for children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, understanding the mechanism of improving postural control is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasible of IMUs to determine pelvic and trunk kinematics during HR in children with CP and with typical development (TD). Twenty children (10 CP, 10 TD; age: 4-12 years) were recruited into the study. The movement of the pelvis and trunk in children with CP and TD including angular displacement and velocity were measured by inertial measurement sensors during horseback riding. Results demonstrated no differences for pelvis and trunk angular displacement or velocity. For children with CP, pelvis and trunk correlations were moderate to good in angular displacement in the sagittal plane (ρ=0.65, p=0.04 for pelvis and trunk flexion-extension and ρ=0.75, p=0.01 for pelvis flexion-extension and trunk inclination) and in angular velocity in the frontal and horizontal planes (ρ=0.82, p=0.02 for lateral flexion and ρ=0.73, p=0.02 for rotation). For children with TD, pelvis and trunk correlations were moderate to good only for angular velocity in the sagittal plane (ρ=67, p=0.03). In conclusion, it is possible to use IMU technology to capture movement of children during HR. The motion parameters including pelvis and trunk angular displacement and velocity can be used to possibly detect functional impairments and monitor the progress of treatment.