TY - JOUR
T1 - Assessing gait variability in transtibial amputee fallers based on spatial-temporal gait parameters normalized for walking speed
AU - Hordacre, Brenton
AU - Barr, Christopher
AU - Patritti, Ben
AU - Crotty, Maria
PY - 2015/6/1
Y1 - 2015/6/1
N2 - Objective To determine whether normalizing spatial-temporal gait data for walking speed obtained from multiple walking trials leads to differences in gait variability parameters associated with a history of falling in people with transtibial amputations. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Rehabilitation center. Participants People with unilateral transtibial amputations (N=45; mean age ± SD, 60.5±13.7y; 35 men [78%]) were recruited. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Participants completed 10 consecutive walking trials using an instrumented walkway system. Primary gait parameters were walking speed and step-length, step-width, step-time, and swing-time variability. A retrospective 12-month fall history was obtained from participants. Results Sixteen amputees (36%) were classified as fallers. Variation in gait speed across the 10 walking trials was 2.9% (range, 1.1%-12.1%). Variability parameters of normalized gait data were significantly different from variability parameters of nonnormalized data (all P<.01). For nonnormalized data, fallers had greater amputated limb step-time (P=.02), step-length (P=.02), swing-time (P=.05), and step-width (P=.03) variability and nonamputated limb step-length (P=.04) and step-width (P=.01) variability. For normalized data, only 3 variability parameters were significantly greater for fallers. These were amputated limb step-time (P=.05), step-length (P=.02), and step-width (P=.01) variability. Conclusions Normalizing spatial-temporal gait data for walking speed before calculating gait variability parameters may aid in discerning variability parameters related to falls histories in people with transtibial amputations. This may help focus on the initial rehabilitation efforts of amputees with a fall history.
AB - Objective To determine whether normalizing spatial-temporal gait data for walking speed obtained from multiple walking trials leads to differences in gait variability parameters associated with a history of falling in people with transtibial amputations. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Rehabilitation center. Participants People with unilateral transtibial amputations (N=45; mean age ± SD, 60.5±13.7y; 35 men [78%]) were recruited. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Participants completed 10 consecutive walking trials using an instrumented walkway system. Primary gait parameters were walking speed and step-length, step-width, step-time, and swing-time variability. A retrospective 12-month fall history was obtained from participants. Results Sixteen amputees (36%) were classified as fallers. Variation in gait speed across the 10 walking trials was 2.9% (range, 1.1%-12.1%). Variability parameters of normalized gait data were significantly different from variability parameters of nonnormalized data (all P<.01). For nonnormalized data, fallers had greater amputated limb step-time (P=.02), step-length (P=.02), swing-time (P=.05), and step-width (P=.03) variability and nonamputated limb step-length (P=.04) and step-width (P=.01) variability. For normalized data, only 3 variability parameters were significantly greater for fallers. These were amputated limb step-time (P=.05), step-length (P=.02), and step-width (P=.01) variability. Conclusions Normalizing spatial-temporal gait data for walking speed before calculating gait variability parameters may aid in discerning variability parameters related to falls histories in people with transtibial amputations. This may help focus on the initial rehabilitation efforts of amputees with a fall history.
KW - Accidental falls
KW - Amputees
KW - Gait
KW - Rehabilitation
KW - Walking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84931573236&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.015
DO - 10.1016/j.apmr.2014.11.015
M3 - Article
VL - 96
SP - 1162
EP - 1165
JO - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
JF - Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
SN - 0003-9993
IS - 6
ER -