A recent study revealed that an individual’s smartphone can detect how well they’ll recover from a broken leg or hip.
According to research published on May 9 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, Smartphone data displaying an individual’s mobility before their injury offers a clear window into their chances of quick recovery.
Lead researcher and an orthopaedic surgery resident at the University of Maryland Medical Centre, Dr. Brian Shear, stated:
“This novel approach has the potential to reshape how orthopaedic care is delivered — empowering patients with clearer expectations, enabling earlier detection of complications, and supporting more personalised, data-driven recovery plans.”
How smartphones can predict recovery from bone injury?
Research involved 107 adults who were at least six months out from surgery for a fracture of their hip or leg.
The participants shared their Apple iPhone data, which included their step count, walking speed, step length and gait.
Results indicated that an individual’s pre-injury mobility assertively predicted their post-injury recovery and physical function.
For instance, those who received more daily steps before their injury got in more steps during their recovery, researchers found.
Similarly, an individual’s pre-injury walking speed and gait further predicted how well they’d recover, “underscoring the clinical importance of these data as recovery metrics,” researchers said.
Health professionals could use an individual's smartphone mobility data to craft more accurate surgical treatment, recovery counselling and therapy goals, researchers concluded.
“We’re now expanding this work across additional subspecialties of orthopaedics, including sports medicine, joint replacement, shoulder surgery, hand, foot and ankle care,” senior researcher and an associate professor of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Nathan O'Hara, stated.
Experts further said that they are currently developing an app to support this work, with plans to release multicenter trials by the end of this year.
