sensors-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Advances in Wearable Inertial and EMG Sensors for Movement Quality Analysis in Sports Science and Rehabilitation

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Wearables".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 186

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of General and Specific Didactics, Universitat d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
Interests: quality movement analysis; EMG analysis; motion real-time biofeedback; rehabilitation tech; therapeutic exercise

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of General and Specific Didactics, Universitat d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
Interests: quality movement analysis; EMG analysis; motion real-time biofeedback; rehabilitation tech; therapeutic exercise

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advancements in wearable inertial sensors (IMUs) have significantly expanded our ability to monitor and improve human movement across various contexts. These devices allow for precise, real-time motion tracking that goes beyond the use of traditional metrics such as step count or calorie burn, focusing instead on the quality of movement and biomechanical patterns. Moreover, emerging research is increasingly integrating surface electromyography (EMG) to assess muscle activation patterns during motion. This complementary approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of motor control by linking biomechanical data with neuromuscular responses. Wearable IMUs, often used in conjunction with EMG, hold promise in enhancing athletic performance, preventing injuries, and supporting rehabilitation through biofeedback mechanisms. Their applications are not only relevant to elite or amateur athletes but also extend to the general population and individuals with specific needs, such as the elderly, children, and those with spinal or musculoskeletal disorders or other health conditions.

This Special Issue invites original research, reviews, and case studies that explore the use of wearable IMU technology—alone or integrated with EMG—for improving movement quality and health outcomes. We aim to cover a wide range of potential topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Motion control and biofeedback in sports performance.
  • Wearable sensor applications in injury prevention and rehabilitation.
  • Biofeedback systems for managing lower back pain and other spinal or musculoskeletal disorders.
  • Innovations in sensor technology and integrative approaches combining IMUs and EMG for comprehensive motion analysis.
  • IMU-based interventions to enhance quality of life in different populations.

Dr. Miguel García-Jaén
Dr. Gema Sanchis-Soler
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wearable sensors
  • inertial measurement units (IMUs)
  • electromyography (EMG)
  • motion analysis
  • biofeedback
  • rehabilitation
  • injury prevention
  • sports science
  • spinal health

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

21 pages, 2934 KiB  
Article
Detection of Gait Events Using Ear-Worn IMUs During Functional Movement Tasks
by Terry Fawden, Iwan Vaughan Roberts, Sarah Goldin, Yash Sharma, Henry Dunne, Thomas Stone and Manohar Bance
Sensors 2025, 25(12), 3629; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25123629 (registering DOI) - 9 Jun 2025
Abstract
Complex walking tasks such as turning or walking with head movements are frequently used to assess dysfunction in an individual’s vestibular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Compared to other methods, wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) allow quantitative analysis of these tasks in less restricted [...] Read more.
Complex walking tasks such as turning or walking with head movements are frequently used to assess dysfunction in an individual’s vestibular, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Compared to other methods, wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) allow quantitative analysis of these tasks in less restricted settings, allowing for a more scalable clinical measurement tool with better ecological validity. This study investigates the use of ear-worn IMUs to identify gait events during complex walking tasks, having collected data on 68 participants with a diverse range of ages and movement-related conditions. The performance of an existing gait event detection algorithm was compared with a new one designed to be more robust to lateral head movements. Our analysis suggests that while both algorithms achieve high initial contact sensitivity across all walking tasks, our new algorithm attains higher terminal contact sensitivity for turning and walking with horizontal head turns, resulting in more accurate estimates of stance and swing times. This provides scope to enable more detailed assessment of complex walking tasks during clinical testing and in daily life settings. Full article
Back to TopTop