Article

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether a figure-of-8-shaped walking test can estimate
various domains of walking in subjects with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI)
better than the 10-meter walk test (10MWT), and to explore similarities and
differences between the 2 tests and between subjects with iSCI and age-matched, healthy controls. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING:
Spinal cord injury center
of a university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of subjects with
iSCI (n=15; mean age, 50y; 40% women; neurologic level from C3 to L5; median time
since injury, 5mo) was compared with an age-matched control group (47% women).
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The figure-of-8 test (FET)
included 6 conditions to test the subjects' ability to adapt their gait to
several circumstances. These conditions covered normal and maximal walking speed,
constrained vision, obstacles, foamed soles, and a dual task. Additionally,
subjects were tested for lower extremity muscle strength, gait capacity (10MWT)
and balance, independence, and fear of falling. RESULTS : (1) Preferred
straight-walking speed correlated with the different FET conditions in both
groups; (2) if normalized to preferred straight-walking speed, FET conditions
showed significant differences between both groups ; (3) if normalized to
preferred curve-walking speed, these differences seemed to disappear; and (4) the
10MWT appeared superior to the different conditions of the FET in estimating
various walking-related functions. CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with iSCI seem to have
difficulties with curve walking compared with straight walking. We therefore
recommend the implementation of curve walking into rehabilitation training
programs. However, the FET did not provide a better estimate of functional
ambulation performance after an iSCI compared with the 10MWT.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS