Date: 2018 October 23
Time: Noon - 1PM
Location: 1-075 RTF
Presentation Topic: Clinical Utility of Proposed Gait Stability Measures: Selection, Application and Evaluation of the Extrapolated Centre of Mass
Presenter: Jeremy Hall, MSc. candidate
Abstract:
In humans, gait stability is a complicated, multifaceted process which makes it difficult to establish an exact definition. This has led to the development of a variety of proposed stability measures, each with different characteristics affecting their practical application. In light of these considerations, the objectives were to: (1) select the measures that are clinically feasible; (2) demonstrate the practical feasibility of obtaining the selected measures and assess their robustness for a non-disabled sample; (3) evaluate the between-session reliability; and (4) demonstrate the clinical utility using three clinical case studies. From the selection process, the extrapolated centre of mass (XCoM) best demonstrated the characteristics of clinical feasibility. To quantify stability, the XCoM must remain within the limits of the base of support. The degree of stability is then given by the margin of stability (MoS): the minimum distance between the XCoM and the base of support. Non-disabled participants were asked to walk in the Computer-Assisted Rehabilitation Environment on a treadmill-driven surface. All participants returned for a repeatsession several weeks following initial testing. Three case study participants with hemophilic arthropathy, unilateral transtibial amputation, and mild traumatic brain injury were also included, each completing one session. Results suggest that the MoS at heel strike (MoS-HS) is best suited to quantifying stability in both the mediolateral and anteroposterior directions. Not only does MoSHS demonstrate reasonable variability, it also showed good repeatability between sessions. Furthermore, MoS-HS provided promising results towards highlighting differences between body sides in the case study participants.