Introduction:

Inertial measurement units (IMU) are small devices capable of measuring linear acceleration and angular velocity. Therefore, they are useful in the health field for the quantification and objective assessment of the human body movement.

Objective:

To analyze information about the inertial sensors usage, as a way to approach to processes of evaluation of the human body movement.

Materials and methods:

A database search was performed, using the following terms: inertial sensors, health, physiotherapy, accelerometer physical activity, movement, rehabilitation and their multiple combinations. The exclusion criteria were exclusive articles from the engineering field covering information not relevant for physical therapy.

Results:

IMUs are devices that are compatible with applications, which can obtain three-dimensional movement data. They can also be used for assessment and intervention to quantify results of motor action.

Conclusions:

IMUs may have wide applications in fields such as rehabilitation, training and sports. As a result, it is necessary to standardize protocols to measure motor patterns and facilitate rehabilitation processes.

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