Systems, devices and methods for interpreting movement

• US 8,535,247 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Original Assignee: University of Virginia Patent Foundation (University of Virginia)
• Inventors: Williams, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hindenburg, Max
• Assistant Examiner(s): DANEGA, RENEE A
• Application Number:
  US12/634,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20100152623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 600/595
• US Class Current: 600/595
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1123 Discriminating type of movement, e.g. walking or running A61B5/1116, A61B5/112 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1124 Determining motor skills
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4076 Diagnosing or monitoring particular conditions of the nervous system A61B5/4821, A61B5/4824 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4082 Diagnosing or monitoring movement diseases, e.g. Parkinson, Huntington or Tourette
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4519 Muscles A61B5/389, A61B5/224 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4528 Joints A61B5/4533, A61B5/4538 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7275 Determining trends in physiological measurement data; Predicting development of a medical condition based on physiological measurements, e.g. determining a risk factor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/25 Recognition of walking or running movements, e.g. gait recognition

Abstract

According to some exemplary embodiments, a method or system can involve associating a plurality of biokinetographic comparison results with a first specific dysfunction from a group of specific dysfunctions, each of the biokinetographic comparison results obtained from a comparison of a biokinetographic value to a standard for a corresponding biokinetographic variable.

Claims

1. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for diagnosing a specific dysfunction associated with comparison results for one or more biokinetographic values for one or more specific components of a gait cycle, the method comprising:

obtaining biokinetographic data for a unique patient;

identifying in said biokinetographic data biokinetographic values for specific components of a gait cycle of the unique patient, wherein the specific components of the gait cycle are initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround and arm swing during gait movement;

comparing each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to a corresponding standard for each of the biokinetographic values;

utilizing the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to determine a specific dysfunction associated with the biokinetographic values;

determining each biokinetographic value automatically from a biokinetographic data set comprising a plurality of scalar sums of acceleration values in each of three orthogonal directions, each scalar sum corresponding to a particular point in time; and

identifying a cause of the unique patient'"'"'s condition as a specific dysfunction that is associated with the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for the specific components of the gait cycle of the unique patient where the specific components of the gait cycle are each of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing during gait movement.

2. The computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the specific dysfunction is one of a neurological dysfunction, a psychiatric condition, an endocrine dysfunction or an orthopedic dysfunction.

3. The computer storage media of claim 1, whereinthe cadence is one or more of the number of steps per unit of time, step rate variability, magnitude of the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) or magnitude of gait accelerations,the initiation of movement is the amount of time before movement begins after a start signal,the base of gait is pelvic tilt of the unique patient,the gait turnaround is the number of steps to perform a turnaround, andthe arm swing during gait movement is one or more of arm swing amplitude or Fast Fourier power.

4. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising assessing the specific dysfunction.

5. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising determining a treatment for the specific dysfunction.

6. The computer storage media of claim 5, further comprising monitoring effects of the treatment.

7. The computer storage media of claim 6, wherein monitoring effects of the treatment includes monitoring compliance with a medication regimen including one or more medications.

8. The computer storage media of claim 1, further comprising providing a prognosis regarding the specific dysfunction.

9. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for diagnosing an individual with a specific neurological dysfunction associated with comparison results for one or more biokinetographic values for one or more specific components of a gait cycle, the method comprising:

obtaining biokinetographic data for a unique patient;

identifying in said biokinetographic data biokinetographic values for specific components of a gait cycle of the unique patient, wherein the specific components of the gait cycle are initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing during gait movement;

comparing each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to a corresponding standard for each of the biokinetographic values;

utilizing the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to determine a specific dysfunction associated with the biokinetographic values;

determining each biokinetographic value automatically from a biokinetographic data set comprising a plurality of scalar sums of acceleration values in each of three orthogonal directions, each scalar sum corresponding to a particular point in time; and

identifying a cause of the unique patient'"'"'s condition as a specific neurological dysfunction that is associated with the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for the specific components of the gait cycle of the unique patient where the specific components of the gait cycle are each of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing during gait movement.

10. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein the specific dysfunction diagnosed is frontal lobe disease.

11. The computer storage media of claim 10, wherein the biokinetographic values include 1) initiation of gait movement that indicates delayed initiation of movement with freezing or short steps and step length normalization after several steps and 2) base of gait that indicates an exaggerated pelvic tilt.

12. The computer storage media of claim 11, wherein the on delayed initiation of movement is greater than 1.5 seconds after a start signal and the exaggerated pelvic tilt is greater than 0.15 gravitational unit variation between steps at a sacral sensor.

13. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein the specific dysfunction diagnosed is low pressure hydrocephalus.

14. The computer storage media of claim 13, wherein the biokinetographic values include 1) initiation of gait movement that indicates delayed initiation of movement with freezing or short steps and step length normalization after several steps and 2) slow cadence.

15. The computer storage media of claim 14, wherein the delayed initiation of movement is greater than 1.5 seconds after a start signal and the slow cadence is less than 100 steps per minute and includes a heel strike interval greater than 330 milliseconds.

16. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein the specific dysfunction diagnosed is subcortical white matter disease.

17. The computer storage media of claim 16, wherein the biokinetographic values include 1) initiation of gait movement that indicates delayed initiation of movement with freezing or short steps and 2) highly variable cadence.

18. The computer storage media of claim 17, wherein the delayed initiation of movement is greater than 1.5 seconds after a start signal and the highly variable cadence is greater than one gravitational unit difference in heel strike amplitudes or Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) power less than 0.5.

19. The computer storage media of claim 9, wherein the specific dysfunction diagnosed is parkinsonism.

20. The computer storage media of claim 19, wherein the biokinetographic values include 1) the initiation of gait movement that indicates delayed initiation of movement with freezing or short steps 2) slow cadence, 3) abnormal gait turnaround and 4) abnormal arm swing during gait movement.

21. The computer storage media of claim 20, wherein the delayed initiation of movement is greater than 1.5 seconds after a start signal, the slow cadence is less than 100 steps per minute and includes a heel strike interval greater than 330 milliseconds and the abnormal gait turnaround is five or more turn steps.

22. The computer storage media of claim 21, wherein the abnormal arm swing during gait movement comprises arm sensor amplitude of less than 0.5 gravitational units, a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) power of less than 0.5 and a resting tremor seen on a wrist sensor baseline.

23. The computer storage media of claim 9 wherein the specific dysfunction is cerebellar dysfunction.

24. The computer storage media of claim 23, wherein the biokinetographic values include 1) broad based gait, 2) highly variable cadence and 3) abnormal turnaround during gait movement.

25. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for diagnosing an individual with a specific neurological dysfunction associated with comparison results for biokinetographic values for specific components of a gait cycle, the method comprising:

obtaining biokinetographic data for a unique patient;

identifying in said biokinetographic data biokinetographic values for specific components of a gait cycle of the unique patient, wherein the specific components of the gait cycle are initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing during gait movement, wherein

1) the cadence is one or more of the number of steps per unit of time, step rate variability, magnitude of the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) or magnitude of gait accelerations,

2) the initiation of movement is the amount of time before movement begins after a start signal,

3) the base of gait is pelvic tilt of the unique patient,

4) the gait turnaround is the number of steps to perform a turnaround, and

5) the arm swing during gait movement is one or more of arm swing amplitude or Fast Fourier power;

comparing each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to a corresponding standard for each of the biokinetographic values;

utilizing the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for all of initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing movement to determine a specific dysfunction associated with the biokinetographic values;

determining each biokinetographic value automatically from a biokinetographic data set comprising a plurality of scalar sums of acceleration values in each of three orthogonal directions, each scalar sum corresponding to a particular point in time; and

identifying a cause of the unique patient'"'"'s condition as a specific neurological dysfunction that is associated with the comparison results for each of the biokinetographic values for each of the specific components of the gait cycle of the unique patient including initiation of gait movement, base of gait, cadence, gait turnaround, and arm swing during gait movement.

26. The computer storage media of claim 25, wherein the specific dysfunction is one of frontal lobe disease, low pressure hydrocephalus, subcortical white matter disease, parkinsonism, cerebellar dysfunction, dorsal spinal column disease, spinal stenosis, peripheral neuropathy, progressive supranuclear palsy, chorea, dystonia, spastic hemiparesis or hemiparesis from a stroke.