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Citation

Yates E, Mason R, Powell D, Godfrey A & Stuart S (2022) Validation of a low-cost wearable sensor for assessment of balance within young adult rugby players. Physiotherapy, 114 (Supplement 1), pp. e20-e21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2021.12.265

Abstract
Purpose: Concussion is prevalent in young adult (YA) rugby players and can impact motor, cognitive and sensory dysfunction. Mobility Lab (v1) is a research-grade wearable sensor system for comprehensively assessing balance and gait. The use of wearable sensors within sports such as rugby may enable pitch-side physiotherapists and doctors to instantly screen for concussion by objectively analysing balance and gait. Thus, may enable medical staff to make more reliable and accurate decisions based on returning to play or contact training after concussion. However, research-grade systems are expensive which limits clinical application. Recently, a low-cost commercially available wearable system has been developed by Output Sports to track and analyse movement during different types of activity, such as balance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the validity of the Output Sports IMU for assessing in balance in YA rugby players by comparing the device to the research-grade Mobility Lab system. Methods: Twelve male university-level rugby players participated in this study. The Output Sports and Mobility Lab sensors were attached to the participants waist using a velcro strap. Participants then performed a series of balance tests adopted from the Sport Concussion Tool (SCAT): single legged stance on a foam surface with eyes closed (SLS-FOAM-EC), singled leg stance on firm surface with eyes closed (SLS-FIRM-EC), feet apart on firm surface with eyes open (FA-FIRM-EO), feet apart on firm surface with eyes closed (FA-FIRM-EC), tandem feet on firm surface with eyes closed (TF-FIRM-EC) and tandem feet on foam surface with eyes closed (TF-FOAM-EC). Validity testing involved recording both the Output Sports and Mobility Lab V1 systems simultaneously. Balance data (variability (m/s^2)) were analysed using SPSS (v.26). Spearman correlations and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the differences between the sensors. A p-value of < 0.05 was set as significant. Results: There was no significant difference between the outcomes from the two systems during any task. Strong correlations were observed for the Output Sports system compared to the Mobility Lab V1 system during the SLS-FOAM-EC, SLS-FIRM-EC, FA-FIRM-EC conditions (rs = > 0.8: U > 50, p > 0.05). Moderate correlations were found between both systems during the FA-FIRM-EO task (rs = 0.69 U = 51.5, p > 0.05). A strong correlation was observed during the TF-FIRM-EC (rs = 0.81: U = 39.5, p > 0.05) however, during the TF-FOAM-EC condition there was a low correlation (rs = 0.35: U = 65, p > 0.05) between the Output Sports and Mobility V1 systems. Conclusion(s): Overall, the results demonstrate that the Output Sports system has good validity when assessing balance within YA rugby players. To expand wearable technology further into different areas of clinical practice future research should explore the applicability of such devices/systems within a clinical environment. Impact: This study demonstrated that the Output Sports system could provide new-found benefits to physiotherapists within clinical practice by being cost-effective and portable with output measures accessible in real-time enabling physiotherapists to accurately monitor balance deficits.

Keywords
Validation; Wearable; Balance

Journal
Physiotherapy: Volume 114, Issue Supplement 1