http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/10/1/118/abstract
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2013, 10:118
doi:10.1186/1743-0003-10-118
Published: 26 December 2013
Published: 26 December 2013
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Root mean square (RMS) of trunk acceleration is seen frequently in gait analysis research.
However, many studies have reported that the RMS value was related to walking speed.
Therefore, the relationship between the RMS value and walking speed should be considered
when the RMS value is used to assess gait abnormality. We hypothesized that the RMS
values in three sensing axes exhibit common proportions for healthy people if they
walk at their own preferred speed and that the RMS proportions in abnormal gait deviate
from the common proportions. In this study, we proposed the RMS ratio (RMSR) as a
gait abnormality measure and verified its ability to discriminate abnormal gait.
Methods
Forty-seven healthy male subjects (24-49 years) were recruited to examine the relationship
between walking speed and the RMSR. To verify its ability to discriminate abnormal
gait, twenty age-matched male hemiplegic patients (30-48 years) participated as typical
subjects with gait abnormality. A tri-axial accelerometer was attached to their lower
back, and they walked along a corridor at their own preferred speed. We defined the
RMSR as the ratio between RMS in each direction and the RMS vector magnitude.
Results
In the healthy subjects, the RMS in all directions related to preferred walking speed.
In contrast, RMSR in the mediolateral (ML) direction did not correlate with preferred
walking speed (rs = -0.10, p = 0.54) and represented the similar value among the healthy
subjects. Moreover, the RMSR in the ML direction for the hemiplegic patients was significantly
higher than that for the healthy subjects (p < 0.01).
Conclusions
These results suggest that the RMSR in the ML direction exhibits a common value when
healthy subjects walk at their own preferred speed, even if their preferred walking
speed were different. For subjects with gait abnormality, the RMSR in the ML direction
deviates from the common value of healthy subjects. The RMSR in the ML direction may
potentially be a quantitative measure of gait abnormality.
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