Temporal gait analysis by inter-ankle distance monitoring

Trunk kinematics in hemiplegic gait and the effect of walking aids

“…The large lateral movements and orientation to the sound side support clinicians' observations and previous studies which have found a short stance phase and decreased weight-bearing on the weak leg. 10,[16][17][18][19][20] In normal subjects lateral displacement is controlled by eccentric activity of the hip abductors 21,22 so it may be that the changes in lateral displacement found in this study are due to poor control of the abductors. EMG activity of the hip abductors during movements in the frontal plane has not been studied to date in hemiplegics, and is an obvious area for further research.…”

“…Normal subjects show a sinusoidal vertical displacement of approximately 5 cm during gait, which is dependent on horizontal rotation of the pelvis at the hip as the hip extends in stance phase, lateral tilt of the pelvis to the nonweightbearing side, and flexion of the knee during stance 3,4 and is powered by concentric activity of the plantar flexors in late stance and at pushoff. 22,23 Alteration in the vertical movements could be due to any or all of these factors, so decreased vertical displacement on the weak side is unsurprising as a lack of hip extension and loss of knee flexion during stance phase is one of the most consistent kinematic findings in hemiplegic gait [19][20][21] while increased pelvic tilt (which would lower of the centre of gravity during stance) has been observed but not objectively measured. 10 The decreased vertical displacement on the sound side was unexpected, however.…”