Short-stepping gait in severe heart failure

Abstract

The length of stride is reduced in severe heart failure, and when healthy controls adopt this gait the oxygen cost of walking is increased. A short-stepping gait may contribute to the limitation of exercise capacity in heart failure.

Brief Walking Test and Cognitive Function among Congestive Heart Failure Patients: Effect Modification by Duration of Congestive Heart Failure

“…Future prospective and experimental work is needed to better inform the temporal relationship between walking performance and cognition among congestive heart failure patients. These findings underscore the importance of optimizing gait mechanics 18,19 among congestive heart failure patients, particularly those with a longer duration of congestive heart failure. This, along with adequate lower extremity strength, 20 may help to promote regular participation in physical activity in this population, which may have fall risk implications 21,22 as well as implications in preserving cognitive function.…”

Brain structural changes associated with aberrant functional responses to the Valsalva maneuver in heart failure

“…The disruption of the striatal‐cortical‐cerebellar circuit will result in ataxia, difficulties in smooth pursuit of action, and other movement disorders (Hu, Song, Li, et al, ; Song et al, ). HF patients show multiple motoric impairments, such as dysfunctions in complex planning, spatial attention, motor speed, grip strength, and gait (Davies, Greig, Jordan, Grieve, & Lipkin, ; Notarius et al, ). Reduced neural responses in the primary motor cortices and supplementary motor areas to the Valsalva challenge in HF subjects may directly underlie these motor disorders.…”

Tele-accelerometry as a novel technique for assessing functional status in patients with heart failure: Feasibility, reliability and patient safety

“…The low variability in individual stride length with varying walking speeds in functionally limited patients allows for step frequency to be used as a reliable performance measure similar to total distance walked [14,15]. 6MWT steps are a function of movement intensity and increase or decrease according to walking speed.…”