The Measurement of Gait

TLDR: Judgements to be made on a patient’s gait pattern at intervals during rehabilitation in order to assess the outcome of the treatment to date and effectively plan the future regime is made.

Abstract: An individual’s walking pattern represents his or her particular solution to the problem of getting from A to B with the minimum expenditure of energy. It is generated through the precise and complex interaction of the many elements of the locomotor system, and under normal circumstances represents a highly efficient form of movement. However, any disorder or disruption of any constituent part of the system will have a deleterious effect on the resulting gait, causing deviations from the normal optimum pattern and making gait less efficient. The restoration of an optimum walking pattern is often a central part of the rehabilitation process. This clearly requires judgements to be made on a patient’s gait pattern at intervals during rehabilitation in order to assess the outcome of the treatment to date and effectively plan the future regime. To do this, clinicians must normally rely on observation of the patient’s gait pattern using