Gait Profile and Variables in Pediatric Rheumatic Disease Using a Smart Insole System

Plain-language summary

In pediatric rheumatic diseases, joint swelling, effusion, tenderness, and painful restriction of joint movement, particularly in weight-bearing joints, frequently alter walking function. These changes affect temporal and spatial parameters of gait, as well as kinematic and kinetic characteristics, leading to functional limitations. Comprehensive physical assessments in patients may not always predict changes in gait parameters. Therefore, incorporating objective methods related to gait and balance into physical evaluations is essential for functional insights and clinical decision-making, aiming to prevent adaptive mechanisms that could negatively affect gait function in the long term. In this context, smart insoles have emerged as a new tool for gait analysis, offering an alternative to high-cost, lab-based equipment. The Digitsole Pro® system can measure gait profile and variables in real-life conditions. A review of the literature reveals no studies utilizing smart insole-based gait assessments in pediatric rheumatic patients. The aim of our study is to investigate the gait profile and variables of children and adolescents with pediatric rheumatic disease using the next-generation Digitsole Pro® smart insole system, and to compare the results with those of healthy peers.

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