An assessment of the relationship between the items of the observational Wisconsin Gait Scale and the 3-dimensional spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters in post-stroke gait

Reliability and applicability of a low-cost, camera-based gait evaluation method for clinical use

BACKGROUND

There is the need for the development of reliable and easy to use in clinical setting gait assessment tools. An open-access video analysis software that administers the calculation of kinematical and spatio-temporal characteristics of human movement is Kinovea® however, its repeatability as a gait analysis tool has not been well addressed. The purpose of the study was to examine the applicability and reliability of an objective, quantitative, low-cost and easy to use in the clinical setting, gait evaluation method, using Kinovea® software.

METHODS

Data collected from 44 healthy subjects recording gait in sagittal and frontal plane using two smartphones. Time consumption of the procedure was captured. Kinovea® software was used to calculate kinematical and spatial parameters.

RESULTS

Intra- and inter-rater reliability of the video processing as well as intra-rater reliability of the measurement procedure represented good to excellent and there were less random measurement errors. There was no measurement error due to random variation for the most of the calculated parameters, except of the pelvis position.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that excepting low accuracy in calculation of pelvis position, gait evaluation using Kinovea® software is objective, quantitative, low-cost, reliable and easy to use in the clinical setting.

Perceiving amputee gait from biological motion: kinematics cues and effect of experience level

Physical therapists (PT) and clinicians must be skilled in identifying gait features through observation to assess motor deficits in patients and intervene appropriately. Inconsistent results in the literature have led researchers to question how clinical experience influences PT's gait perception and to seek the key kinematic features that should be trained to enhance PT's skill. Thus, this study investigated (1) what are the informative kinematic features that allow gait-deviation perception in amputee gait and (2) whether there are differences in observational gait skills between PT and individuals with less clinical experience (PT students [PTS] and Novices). We introduced a new method that combines biological motion and principal component analysis to gradually mesh amputee and typical walking patterns. Our analysis showed that on average the accuracy rate in identifying gait deviations between PT and PTS was similar and better than Novices. Also, we found that PT's experience was demonstrated by their better perception of gait asymmetry. The extracted principal components demonstrated that the major gait deviation of amputees was the medial-lateral body sway and spatial gait asymmetry.

Integrating a gait analysis test in hospital rehabilitation: A service design approach

BACKGROUND

Gait analysis with motion capture (MoCap) during rehabilitation can provide objective information to facilitate treatment decision making. However, designing a test to be integrated into healthcare services requires considering multiple design factors. The difficulty of integrating a 'micro-service' (gait test) within a 'macro-service' (healthcare service) has received little attention in the gait analysis literature. It is a challenge that goes beyond the gait analysis case study because service design methods commonly focus on the entire service design (macro-level).

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to extract design considerations and generate guidelines to integrate MoCap technology for gait analysis in the hospital rehabilitation setting. Specifically, the aim is to design a gait test to assess the response of the applied treatments through pre- and post-measurement sessions.

METHODS

We focused on patients with spasticity who received botulinum toxin treatment. A qualitative research design was used to investigate the integration of a gait analysis system based on inertial measurement units in a rehabilitation service at a reference hospital. The methodological approach was based on contrasted methodologies from the service design field, which materialise through observation techniques (during system use), semi-structured interviews, and workshops with healthcare professionals (13 patients, 10 'proxies', and 6 doctors).

RESULTS

The analysis resulted in six themes: (1) patients' understanding, (2) guiding the gait tests, (3) which professionals guide the gait tests, (4) gait test reports, (5) requesting gait tests (doctors and test guide communication), and the (6) conceptual design of the service with the gait test.

CONCLUSIONS

The extracted design considerations and guidelines increase the applicability and usefulness of the gait analysis technology, improving the link between technologists and healthcare professionals. The proposed methodological approach can also be useful for service design teams that deal with the integration of one service into another.

The effects of different attentional focus on poststroke gait

Attention may influence the motor performance of poststroke patients. The attentional focus implies “where” attention is focused while performing a specific movement. Focusing attention on the inside of the body while performing a specific exercise is called an internal focus (IF) and focus on the external environment is called an external focus (EF). This study examined the effect of attention on the gait of patients with chronic stroke. Sixteen subjects voluntarily participated in the study. The subjects were guided to walk while maintaining the required attentional focus, which is control, IF, and EF condition. Dependent variables were as follows: step length, stride length, step width, 10-m walk time, and weight distribution on the paretic limb. The results are as follows. First, the step length and the stride length were observed to be longer in the EF condition. Second, 10-m walk time was faster in EF condition. Third, under the EF condition, more weight was applied to the paretic limb. We suggest that EF instruction useful to improve the poststroke gait.

The Wisconsin gait scale - The minimal clinically important difference

BACKGROUND

Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) is an observational tool for the evaluation of gait quality in individuals after stroke with hemiplegia. It is divided into four subscales, which assess a total of fourteen spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait observed during the consecutive gait phases. However, the WGS score change indicative of important and clinically meaningful change has not been determined.

RESEARCH QUESTION

The study has been designed to define the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of the WGS.

METHODS

Four methods were used to determine the MCID for the WGS in 50 participants who had experienced a stroke: anchor-based study, distribution-based study, linear regression analysis and specification of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

In the anchor-based study, the mean change score in the MCID group was 1.9 points (the first MCID estimate). In the distribution-based study, the standard error of measurement for the no-change group was 0.3 (the second MCID estimate). The slope of the regression line was 1.21 which means than 1-point change in the Barthel Index (BI) is associated with 1.21-point change in the WGS. This translates to 2.25 points change in the WGS with 1.85 points change in the BI (the third MCID estimate). The best cut-off point, determined with ROC curve, was the value corresponding to 1 point of change in the WGS (the fourth MCID estimate).

SIGNIFICANCE

We established that the MCID of the WGS was 2.25 points, based on the largest of the four MCID estimates. The value 2.25 of the MCID can help clinicians and researchers determine if the change in the scores on the WGS is clinically important.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Data are parts of the following clinical trial: ACTRN12617000436370.

Relationship Between Observational Wisconsin Gait Scale, Gait Deviation Index, and Gait Variability Index in Individuals Poststroke

OBJECTIVE

To compare results of the observational Wisconsin Gait Scale (WGS) and global gait indexes such as Gait Deviation Index (GDI) and Gait Variability Index (GVI), constituting an objective method of assessing gait, and taking into account parameters identified during 3-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA).

DESIGN

A validation study.

SETTING

Rehabilitation clinic.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 50 individuals poststroke and 50 individuals without stroke and without gait disorders (N=100).

INTERVENTIONS

Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Gait was evaluated using the WGS. GDI and GVI values were acquired using a movement analysis system. The global gait indexes GDI and GVI were determined based on the kinematic and spatiotemporal parameters, respectively.

RESULTS

The study showed statistically significant correlations between the parameters of GDI affected leg and WGS total score (R=-0.87), GVI affected leg and WGS total score (R=-0.93), GVI unaffected leg and WGS total score (R=-0.88), GVI affected/unaffected leg and the total score in the assessment of spatiotemporal parameters on the WGS (R=-0.81) as well as GDI affected leg and the total score in the assessment of kinematics parameters on the WGS (R=-0.85). All correlations were strong (0.7<|R|<0.9) or very strong (0.9<|R|<1).

CONCLUSIONS

WGS scores have a strong or very strong correlation with GDI and GVI. The WGS may be recommended as a substitute tool to be used when 3DGA is unavailable, as it is a useful ordinal scale, enabling simple and accurate observational assessment of gait in patients poststroke, with effectiveness that is comparable to the GDI and GVI.