To map the existing literature to identify objective digital markers that represent knee osteoarthritis symptoms in free-living settings.
Approach:
Search Strategy: A systematic search strategy was developed following PRISMA-S guidelines, targeting literature on knee osteoarthritis, symptoms, monitoring contexts, and sensor technologies across multiple databases.
Key Findings:
Knee osteoarthritis affects 10%-15% of individuals aged 60 years and older, characterized by fluctuating symptoms like pain and stiffness.
Traditional assessment methods are limited by recall bias and do not capture real-time symptom variability.
Wearable sensing technologies can provide continuous, objective data on physiological and biomechanical markers related to knee osteoarthritis symptoms.
Current digital markers are fragmented, lacking a comprehensive understanding of their association with specific symptoms.
Interpretation:
The review highlights the need for a comprehensive synthesis of digital markers to accurately capture daily symptom fluctuations in knee osteoarthritis.
Limitations:
Existing monitoring approaches often utilize only a subset of available technologies.
There is a lack of comprehensive evidence regarding the association of specific digital markers with knee osteoarthritis symptoms.
Conclusion:
A detailed mapping of sensor modalities to clinical symptoms is essential for developing effective monitoring systems for knee osteoarthritis.
