Socks that are able to connect to your doc

Physiotherapists can review patients without having to see them, thanks to wearable technology in the form of smart socks.

University of Melbourne PhD candidate Deepti Aggarwal developed the socks to help patients who struggle to travel to appointments.

How it works

The socks are embedded with movement and pressure sensors which provide real-time feedback on the patient’s weight distribution, range of movement and foot orientation, from the patient’s lower limb movements.

The socks could come in handy for physiotherapists, who need to closely observe subtle changes in a patient’s movement, especially in the lower limbs.

“Especially with long-term conditions like chronic pain, it is very difficult for the patient to come in for a face-to-face visit every time,” Ms Aggarwal said.

Such changes would be difficult to detect in video consultation, another alternative to face-to-face care, especially for patients (for example, in rural areas) who don’t live in close proximity to the specialist, and those who have difficulties moving. “This reduces the time and cost for patients travelling to the hospital. However, video consultations are less effective for physiotherapists, as they only provide a two-dimensional view of the patient,” said Ms Aggarwal.

Mark Bradford, a physiotherapist at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, noted that the smart socks provide information health workers might not get during video consultations.

He added that the technology’s visual depiction of movement and weight distribution helps patients monitor their progress and encourages them to continue with rehabilitation.

“Putting your foot down on the ground is a really important step in recovery,” he said.

However, Aggarwal said that the innovation is a complement rather than a replacement for face-to-face consultations. The idea is to have a couple of face-to-face consultations, and a couple of video reviews aided by the smart sock technology.

Smart sock technology could also come in handy for patients with foot injuries, elderly people, and pregnant women who may not be able to travel regularly for face-to-face care.

One of the trial’s participants, Poppy Lange, has been suffering from debilitating chronic pain since she injured her knee running four years ago.

The 18-year-old has spent almost all that time on crutches, but said the smart socks had made a big difference to her life.

“Being able to walk as most people take for granted, but it’s a key part of being able to go to Uni, go to work and get to school every day,” Ms Lange said.

“Physio allowed me to do that, which obviously allowed me to get on with the rest of my life.”

The socks which cost about Sh680,000 ($300) to make are not available for sale, but the innovator hopes that companies will come on board to develop smart socks for medical use and drive down the price.

Additional information sourced from abc.net.au