Usefulness of digital gait analysis for assessing patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of laboratory-based digitized gait analysis as an outcome measure to identify improvement in a mildly affected patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome 10 and 20 months post-nadir. Data are presented in the form of a single case study. Considerable improvements were found within ground reaction forces and lower limb kinematics, indicating a markedly improved functional gait pattern. This improvement was reinforced by positive subjective feedback. Initially, this assessment intended to identify the extent to which sensitive measurements using digitized gait analysis could provide a means of examining patient improvement following Guillain-Barré syndrome. As a serendipitous finding, it was noted that it can also provide a focus to therapy sessions.

What constitutes a ‘Good’ recovery outcome in post‐acute Guillain–Barré syndrome? Results of a Nationwide Survey of post‐acute GBS sufferers in the United Kingdom

“…It is possible that those suffering the aftermath of GBS have a similar profile. Interventions applied to fatigued people whether in the form of self‐help [20] or external interventions [11,21,22] may assist in improving not only fatigue, but other problems such as anxiety and depression. A reduction in fatigue severity of 20% has been reported following physical training in post‐acute GBS, which appears also to improve levels of anxiety and depression [11].…”

Physiotherapy and Guillain–Barré syndrome: results of a national survey

“…Approximately 10% of respondents said that they did not receive treatment by a physiotherapist as an inpatient. This was a surprising finding, as the importance of physical interventions in the shape of formal therapy is widely accepted in the literature [6,12,14,15,17], to the extent that Hughes et al [9] believe that the significance of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) is as important as immunotherapy. It is difficult to see that there could be a fully functioning MDT without physiotherapy.…”

“…Studies investigating the effect of rehabilitation interventions have been few in number and have had small sample sizes [12,[15][16][17][18][19]. No comprehensive and systematic studies have been conducted to assess the efficacy of treatment by a physiotherapist in GBS [6], but small-scale studies considering the effect of physiotherapeutic interventions have indicated positive outcomes in terms of strength [12], endurance [12,17], gait quality and function [15,16], and fatigue [12]. However, no studies have shown a definitive positive effect; consequently, efficacy remains unclear [6].…”

Identification of factors affecting outcomes in patients with Guillain Barre syndrome

“…IVIgG and plasmapheresis combined is not significantly superior over individual treatment options [2,15]. Corticosteroids and Physiotherapy/occupational therapy are also known to be effective in GBS management when combined with the main treatment options [2,[15][16][17]. Out of 212 GBS patients, 178 received therapy.…”

“…Corticosteroids have also been used in the management of the condition however, corticosteroid monotherapy is not effective for the treatment of GBS [ 2 , 15 ], nevertheless short-term benefits, when combined IVIg therapy are noted [ 2 ]. Furthermore, small scale studies have shown positive outcomes in terms of strength, endurance, fatigue [ 16 ], gait quality and function [ 17 ] in patients who underwent physiotherapy.…”