Gait Asymmetry Assessment Based on OpenPose: A Comparative Study with the VICON System

Ying-Che Tseng, Chun-Wai Wong, Chia-Ming Chang, Hsiu-Chen Lin, Kuan-Chun Liu
Purpose:

This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using OpenPose for quantifying gait asymmetry by comparing the results with the VICON 3D motion capture systems.This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using OpenPose for quantifying gait asymmetry by comparing the results with the VICON 3D motion capture systems.

Methods:

Ten young participants were recruited for this study, and they were asked to walk in comfortable speed several times in the motion lab. At the same time, a 8-camera VICON system set in the laboratory and also a smartphone in front of the walkway captured the movements and video of walking. Videos captured by the smartphone were analyzed by OpenPose to identify key anatomical nodes and thus the body segment positions. The main parameters in the coronal plane included uneven shoulders, trunk lateral lean, and pelvic tilt (three key indicators for gait asymmetry) were obtained in both systems. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) was used for assessing the consistency between these two systems.

Results:

This study showed good agreement between the VICON and OpenPose results in the evaluation of the asymmetry in the uneven shoulders, trunk lateral lean, and pelvic tilt during walking with moderate to high ICCs.

Conclusion(s):

The findings of this study support that OpenPose for analysis of the 2D video filming in frontal plane has its potential to be use as a reliable tool for evaluating gait asymmetry.

Implications:

OpenPose model can be a reliable and convenient tool to assess the gait asymmetry in various populations and could be used in lots of clinical applications.

Funding acknowledgements:
National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan
Keywords:
Gait asymmetry
Motion capture
OpenPose
Primary topic:
Older people
Second topic:
Sport and sports injuries
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
China Medical University Hospital Research Ethics Committee, Taiwan
Provide the ethics approval number:
CMUH113-REC3-036
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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