The main purpose was to determine the values of spatio-temporal parameters and ground reaction forces during the swingthrough crutch gait. Methods: Eighteen male patients with unilateral injury within the foot, ankle or shank (age: 25.4 ± 7.7 years, body height: 1.79 ± 0.06 m, body mass: 76.1 ± 11.5 kg) participated in the study. In the experiment, 6-camera optoelectronic motion capture system and force platform were used. The measurements of spatio-temporal parameters and ground reaction force (GRF) were performed for uninjured lower extremity (ULE), crutch on the ULE side (CrU) and crutch on the injured lower extremity side (CrI). Results: Analysis demonstrated a significantly longer stance phase and a significantly shorter swing phase for ULE than crutches ( p < 0.05), and a significantly longer first, compared to the second, double support phase ( p < 0.05). Comparisons showed also significantly higher maximum values of the vertical GRF and extreme values of the horizontal antero-posterior GRF for ULE than crutches ( p < 0.05) as well as for CrI than CrU ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: The present study provides biomechanical data related to the spatio-temporal parameters and GRFs for the swing-through crutch gait in patients with the lower extremity injuries.
The Gait Variability Index (GVI) summarizes overall gait quality, taking into account spatiotemporal parameters from a 3-dimensional gait analysis. However, there are no studies evaluating changes in gait patterns after stroke, based on the GVI. The study was designed to assess usefulness of the GVI for evaluation of gait pathology in subjects with stroke, compared to healthy individuals. Methods: Spatiotemporal gait parameters were examined in a group of 50 subjects at a chronic stage post-stroke and in 50 healthy controls. The GVI was calculated based on the 9 spatiotemporal data. Results: The findings show statistically significant differences between the values of the GVI for paretic and non-paretic limbs ( p < 0.001). Higher values of the index were identified in the case of non-paretic limb: 80.74 vs. 76.32. The GVI scores were decreased for both paretic and non-paretic limbs, compared to the controls – p < 0.001. Conclusions: The GDI score seems to be a viable tool for quantifying changes in gait pattern during evaluation of subjects with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis. Further studies should be conducted to validate the use of GVI in the post-stroke population.
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