Objective functional assessment in orthopedics: The emerging role of wearable technologies

Table 4 Wearables in sports medicine

Ref.	Type of surgery	Device used	Key finding
Bell et al[143], 2017	ACL reconstruction	Accelerometer (Actigraph)	Only 24% of post-operation patients met the recommended steps guideline. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was also significantly lower in postop patient
Dwyer et al[144], 2025	ACL reconstruction	Accelerometer	Physical activity outcomes during the first year of recovery showed gradual improvement, but physical activity targets were still not met at 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months postop
Werner et al[145], 2025	ACL reconstruction	Waist-worn accelerometer (Actigraph)	Average daily steps did not change from 6 months to 18 months post-ACL reconstruction
Laurent et al[148], 2020	Achilles tendon rupture recovery	Wearable insole sensors	Plantar pressure distribution and activity demonstrated little improvement at 12 weeks
Tavakkoli Oskouei et al[149], 2022	Achilles tendinopathy	Wearable technology	Daily physical activity and biomechanical measures were evaluated and changes in pain were not found to correlate with activity levels
Boyer et al[150], 2025	Shoulder physiotherapy	Smartwatch	Higher physiotherapy participation rates led to significant improvements for partial-thickness tears
Burns et al[151], 2021	Rotator cuff physiotherapy	Smartwatch	Clinically significant dose response of physiotherapy on treatment outcomes in rotator cuff pathology
Burns et al[152], 2018	Shoulder physiotherapy	Smartwatch (Inertial signals)	Machine learning successfully recognized shoulder physiotherapy exercises from smartwatch inertial signals

ACL: Anterior cruciate ligament.