Analysing simple biomechanistics and kinetics parameters of the non invasive, easy-to-use, biosensor MYO Armband can help assessing and monitoring neurological disabilities, especially motor and gait impairments and progression in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients.

Because of the high variability of MS clinical onset, evolution, phenotypes and mechanisms, the longitudinal assessment of this disease and its progression remain to this date a challenge for Neurologists worldwide.

We included 20 MS patients followed at the Nantes University Hospital(France) and included in the "Myo Project" study, from January to December 2018. While wearing the MYO armband, patients performed several clinical tests, including clinical EDSS, Timed 25-foot Walk test, Romberg maneuver, Heel-Knee test and filled auto-questionnaires including a patient EDSS (pEDSS). We analysed data from the 3 dimension inertial measurement unit (gyroscope and accelerometer) and the surface electromyogram (sEMG) included in the MYO.

20 patients presenting with remitting-recurring MS and 5 healthy controls matched with sex and age were included in this study. The mean rotation speed measured with the gyroscope sensor, increased with the severity of the disease along the X, Y and Z axis; r(x)=0.558, r(y)=0.328, r(z)=0.443 and respectively p=0.00029, p=0.000298, p=0.0003 for the Romberg maneuver. There was a significant negative correlation between the linear acceleration measured with the accelerometer along the X-axis, r(x)=-0.731 (p=0.030) and Y-axis, r(y)=-0.273 (p=0.0002) and a positive correlation along the Z axis, r(z)=0.792 (p=10^-4) for the 25-foot walk test. The pEDSS responses were correlated with the cEDSS. A big data analytics approach of raw data obtained with the sEMG allows to differentiate MS patients from healthy controls. 

There is a correlation between certain measures obtained with the MYO Armband and MS severity and progression. The MYO can also differentiate the muscle contraction profile of the lower limbs of MS patients and healthy controls.