February 8th 2018, 13:00, Room F105/F106, School of Engineering

Speaker: Rita Stagni is Associate Professor of Biomechanics at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna. Her scientific production presently includes more than 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and international conference proceedings. Her research activity, in cooperation with national and international scientific institutions, mainly concerns the application of measurement, modelling and control methods in movement analysis, in both physiological and assisted conditions. Recent research focused on the accurate real-time assessment of motor stability and balance in elderly and pathological subjects, with a particular reference, in the last years, to the maturation of motor control in children. She was member of the Board of the Italian Society of Gait Analysis in Clinic, 3DAHM group of the International Society of Biomechanics, member of the European Society of Biomechanics, and participated in national and international research projects as coordinator for UNIBO

Aim: As one of the so-called geriatric giants is considered, it is evident that falls represent a heavy economic and social burden, leading to a significant reduction in the quality of life in the elderly and/or pathological population. Therefore, it is easy to understand the great interest in the identification of effective methods to identify those at risk and to develop effective clinical / rehabilitative interventions aiming to reduce this risk. Unfortunately, however, extensive research and literature demonstrate how far from simple is this task; based on epidemiological evaluations, the risk of falling has a multifactorial nature, is affected by specific clinical conditions as well as by environmental conditions, potentially differing significantly from one subject to another. Both postural and motor stability are the result of the concurrent action of various functional resources.

In recent years, an increasing attention has been paid to multifactorial assessment, aiming at personalised intervention for the prevention of falls and injuries in the elderly subjects. Moreover, efficient wearable sensors have become available, allowing a constant and non-invasive monitoring of the movement during the activities of daily life. This resulted in the development and proposal of a large number of methods for the quantification of motor stability and the estimation of fall risk. The aim of this lesson is to provide an overview and a critical review of the quantitative tools proposed in recent years and based on the use of magneto-inertial sensors to summarise the advantages and the main limitations for the proper use of these instruments.