Is there a preferred foot side for IMU-based freezing of gait detection in Parkinson's disease?

Abstract

Freezing of Gait (FoG) is one of the most severe symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, which arises in the late stages of the disease and affects the human motoric system. Gait specific features derived from a foot-attached IMU can be used for online detection of FoG. In this article we raise the question whether both feet are equally affected by FoG or there exists a most affected foot that should be used for IMU-based FoG detection. Annotated walking data from six Parkinson patients with IMU data from both feet have been used to answer this question. The results show that a preferred side exists, and that the accuracy in FoG detection improves by 11% when choosing the more affected leg for the IMU placement.