Functional Gait Measures Prediction by Spatiotemporal and Gait Symmetry in Individuals Post Stroke

Abstract

Hemiplegic individuals often exhibit gait impairments. Current technologies allow for simple and fast acquisition of spatiotemporal gait parameters and gait Symmetry Indices (SI). Gait SI have been associated with instability and fall risk. These data may therefore prove an important addition to the already common conventional clinical measures, e.g. the 10 Meter Walk Test (10MWT), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and the Motor Functional Independence Measure (MFIM). However, the prediction of these conventional clinical measures using spatiotemporal gait parameters and gait SI for individuals post stroke, has yet to be thoroughly investigated. We aimed to evaluate the correlation between spatiotemporal gait parameters and commonly-used clinical gait test scores, and to predict common clinical measures by spatiotemporal gait parameters in patients post stroke. In this cross-sectional retrospective study, spatiotemporal data were collected from files of adult patients (n = 70) post stroke, who performed one or more of the aforementioned functional evaluations within 1 year following stoke. Correlations were also performed for 53 of these subjects who performed all the tests in the subacute stage. High correlations (>0.7) were found between 10MWT, 6MWT and TUG and between diverse spatiotemporal parameters. Spatiotemporal parameters significantly predicted the 6MWT (R² = .743), TUG (R² = .668), 10MWT (R² = .552), MFIM (R² = .513), and the BBS (R² = .556). An objective computerized evaluation producing spatiotemporal and symmetry gait parameters is compatible with common functional gait measures and might prove more advantageous in patient evaluation, since it provides additional multiple data, easily and quickly acquired.