Article

Treadmill walking offers several advantages for clinical gait analysis and gait
training, but may affect gait parameters. We compared walking on a self-paced
treadmill in a virtual environment (TM+) with overground walking in a
conventional gait lab (CGL), and with natural walking (NW) outside a lab
environment on a GaitRite measurement mat, for 11 typically developing (TD)
children and 9 children with cerebral palsy (CP). Spatiotemporal parameters and
subjective scores on similarity to normal walking were compared between all three
conditions, while kinematic parameters and Gait and Motion Analysis Profile
Scores (GPS and MAP) were compared between CGL and TM+. Subjects walked slower
and with shorter strides in both lab conditions compared to NW. Stride width was
3-4 cm wider in TM+ than in CGL and NW. Mean kinematic curves showed a few
differences between CGL and TM+: on the treadmill children with CP walked with on
average 2 degrees more pelvic tilt, 7 degrees more knee flexion at initial
contact, and more deviating knee and ankle kinematics as indicated by the MAP scores. These differences may in part be due to increased fatigue in TM+ as a
result of longer continuous walking time. Our results indicate that differences
between self-paced treadmill walking in a VR and walking in a conventional gait
lab are generally small, but need to be taken into account when performing gait
analysis on a treadmill.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS