scholarly journals Clinical utility of the over-ground bodyweight-supporting walking system Andago in children and youths with gait impairments

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubertus J. A. van Hedel ◽  
Irene Rosselli ◽  
Sandra Baumgartner-Ricklin
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Gluteus Medius ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Joint Coordination ◽  
Leg Muscles ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
System Usability Scale ◽  
Stride Duration ◽  
Semg Activity ◽  
Gait Impairments

Abstract Background The Andago is a rehabilitation robot that allows training walking over-ground while providing bodyweight unloading (BWU). We investigated the practicability, acceptability, and appropriateness of the device in children with gait impairments undergoing neurorehabilitation. Concerning appropriateness, we investigated whether (i) stride-to-stride variability of the stride time and inter-joint coordination was higher when walking over-ground in Andago versus treadmill walking, and (ii) activation of antigravity leg muscles decreased with higher levels of BWU. Methods Eighteen children and adolescents with gait impairments participated in three sessions. Practicability was assessed by determining the time needed to get a patient in and out of Andago, the accuracy of the BWU system, and other aspects. Acceptability was assessed by patients responding to questions, while six therapists filled out the System Usability Scale. To determine appropriateness, the participants were equipped with surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes, electrogoniometers and accelerometers. Various parameters were compared between walking over-ground and on a treadmill, and between walking with three different levels of BWU (median: 20%, 35% and 50% of the bodyweight) over-ground. Results Practicability: the average time needed to get in and out of Andago amounted to 60 s and 16 s, respectively. The BWU system seemed accurate, especially at higher levels. We experienced no technical difficulties and Andago prevented 12 falls. However, participants had difficulties walking through a door without bumping into it. Acceptability: after the second session, nine participants felt safer walking in Andago compared to normal walking, 15 preferred walking in Andago compared to treadmill walking, and all wanted to train again with Andago. Therapists rated the usability of the Andago as excellent. Appropriateness: stride-to-stride variability of stride duration and inter-joint coordination was higher in Andago compared to treadmill walking. sEMG activity was not largely influenced by the levels of BWU investigated in this study, except for a reduced M. Gluteus Medius activity at the highest level of BWU tested. Conclusions The Andago is a practical and well-accepted device to train walking over-ground with BWU in children and adolescents with gait impairments safely. The system allows individual stride-to-stride variability of temporospatial gait parameters without affecting antigravity muscle activity strongly. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03787199.

Comparison of Treadmill and Overground Walking in Children and Adolescents

2021 ◽  
pp. 003151252199310
Author(s):  
Taeyou Jung ◽  
Yumi Kim ◽  
Luke E. Kelly ◽  
Mayumi Wagatsuma ◽  
Youngok Jung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
Pediatric Population ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Overground Walking ◽  
Common Error ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Walking Speeds

The primary purpose of this study was to compare biomechanical gait variables and perceived gait velocity between overground and treadmill walking conditions among typically developing children and adolescents. Twenty children and adolescents ( Mage = 11.4, SD = 2.9 years) walked overground and on a treadmill at a matched comfortable walking speed while a 3-D motion analysis system captured spatiotemporal and kinematic gait parameters. In order to compare perceived gait velocities, we acquired data at self-selected comfortable and fastest walking speeds. Paired t-tests comparing the children’s speed and gait in these two different walking conditions revealed significantly higher cadence ( p < .001) and shorter stride length ( p < .002), during treadmill versus overground walking. In addition, treadmill walking showed statistically significant differences in joint kinematics of ankle excursion and pelvic rotation excursions ( p < .001). Participants chose slower speeds on the treadmill than for overground walking when they were asked to select their comfortable and fastest walking speeds ( p < .001). Our findings suggest that these differences between treadmill and overground walking in cadence, stride length, and perceived gait velocity should be considered whenever a treadmill is used for gait research within the pediatric population. However, the differences we found in gait kinematics between these two walking conditions appear to be relatively trivial and fell within the common error range of kinematic analysis.

Variability of gait spatio-temporal parameters during treadmill walking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslaw Latka ◽  
Klaudia Kozlowska ◽  
Bruce J. West
Keyword(s):  
Stride Length ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Frequency Noise ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Nonlinear Functions ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
First Case ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract During treadmill walking, the subject’s stride length (SL) and duration (ST) yield a stride speed (SS) which fluctuates over a narrow range centered on the treadmill belt’s speed. We recently demonstrated that ST and SL trends are strongly correlated and serve as control manifolds about which the corresponding gait parameters fluctuate. The fundamental problem, which has not yet been investigated, concerns the contribution of SL and ST fluctuations to SS variability. To investigate this relation, we approximate SS variance by the linear combination of SL variance and ST variance, as well as their covariance. The combination coefficients are nonlinear functions of ST and SL mean values and, consequently, depend on treadmill speed. The approximation applies to constant speed treadmill walking and walking on a treadmill whose belt speed is perturbed by strong, high-frequency noise. In the first case, up to 80% of stride speed variance comes from SL fluctuations. In the presence of perturbations, the SL contribution decreases with increasing speed, but its lowest value is still twice as large as that of either ST variance or SL-ST covariance. The presented evidence supports the hypothesis that stride length adjustments are primarily responsible for speed maintenance during walking. Such a control strategy is evolutionarily advantageous due to the weak speed dependence of the SL contribution to SS variance. The ability to maintain speed close to that of a moving cohort did increase the chance of an individual’s survival throughout most of human evolution.

Variability of spatiotemporal gait parameters in children with and without Down syndrome during treadmill walking

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 207-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Beerse ◽  
Gena Henderson ◽  
Huaqing Liang ◽  
Toyin Ajisafe ◽  
Jianhua Wu
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Gait Parameters

Gyroscope-based assessment of temporal gait parameters during treadmill walking and running

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise McGrath ◽  
Barry R. Greene ◽  
Karol J. O’Donovan ◽  
Brian Caulfield
Keyword(s):  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Gait Parameters

scholarly journals Assessing the concurrent validity of a gait analysis system integrated into a smart walker in older adults with gait impairments

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1682-1687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Werner ◽  
Georgia Chalvatzaki ◽  
Xanthi S Papageorgiou ◽  
Costas S Tzafestas ◽  
Jürgen M Bauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gait Analysis ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Concurrent Validity ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Stance Time ◽  
Absolute Agreement ◽  
Analysis System ◽  
Smart Walker ◽  
Gait Impairments

Objective: To assess the concurrent validity of a smart walker–integrated gait analysis system with the GAITRite® system for measuring spatiotemporal gait parameters in potential users of the smart walker. Design: Criterion standard validation study. Setting: Research laboratory in a geriatric hospital. Participants: Twenty-five older adults (⩾65 years) with gait impairments (habitual rollator use and/or gait speed <0.6 m/s) and no severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination ⩾17). Main measures: Stride, swing and stance time; stride length; and gait speed were simultaneously recorded using the smart walker–integrated gait analysis system and the GAITRite system while participants walked along a 7.8-m walkway with the smart walker. Concurrent criterion-related validity was assessed using the Bland–Altman method, percentage errors (acceptable if <30%), and intraclass correlation coefficients for consistency (ICC3,1) and absolute agreement (ICC2,1). Results: Bias for stride, swing and stance time ranged from −0.04 to 0.04 seconds, with acceptable percentage errors (8.7%–23.0%). Stride length and gait speed showed higher bias (meanbias (SD) = 0.20 (0.11) m; 0.19 (0.13) m/s) and not acceptable percentage errors (31.3%–42.3%). Limits of agreement were considerably narrower for temporal than for spatial-related gait parameters. All gait parameters showed good-to-excellent consistency (ICC3,1 = 0.72–0.97). Absolute agreement was good-to-excellent for temporal (ICC2,1 = 0.72–0.97) but only poor-to-fair for spatial-related gait parameters (ICC2,1 = 0.37–0.52). Conclusion: The smart walker–integrated gait analysis system has good concurrent validity with the GAITRite system for measuring temporal but not spatial-related gait parameters in potential end-users of the smart walker. Stride length and gait speed can be measured with good consistency, but with only limited absolute accuracy.

Inter-joint coordination analysis of reach-to-grasp kinematics in children and adolescents with obstetrical brachial plexus palsy

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 ◽  
pp. 15-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian H. Mayfield ◽  
Sahana N. Kukke ◽  
Sylvain Brochard ◽  
Christopher J. Stanley ◽  
Katharine E. Alter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brachial Plexus ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Brachial Plexus Palsy ◽  
Reach To Grasp ◽  
Joint Coordination ◽  
Obstetrical Brachial Plexus Palsy

The Relationship between Integrated EMG and Oxygen Uptake during Treadmill and Bicycle Exercise

1976 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 548-551
Author(s):  
T. Fukunaga ◽  
K. Yuasa ◽  
M. Kobayashi ◽  
T. Miyagawa ◽  
H. Fujimatsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Uptake ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Rectus Femoris ◽  
Biceps Femoris ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Emg Activity ◽  
Bicycle Exercise ◽  
Leg Muscles ◽  
Integrated Emg ◽  
Muscle Groups

The aim of this study is to measure the integrated EMG in relation to the oxygen uptake during submaximal treadmill and bicycle exercises. Seven healthy adult subjects performed five minute exercise at three different submaximal work intensities on the same day. The EMG activity in right thigh and leg muscles was measured from m. rectus femoris, m. biceps femoris, m. tibialis anterior and m. gastrocnemius by means of four pairs of surface electrodes sealed with collodion to the skin at a distance of 3 cm apart over the belly of muscles. The EMG activity was not likely modified by the possible fatigue during 5 minutes submaximal exercise in this experiment. In the treadmill walking, there was a rectilinear relationship between integrated EMG activity from four muscle groups and percent of VO2max. On the bicycle exercise the correlation coefficient between them was generally lower than that on the treadmill walking. The product of integrated EMG and volume of the same muscle groups was considerably linearly related to oxygen uptake during treadmill and bicycle exercise (the correlation coefficient was 0.945, p < 0.001 in treadmill and 0.710, p < 0.001 in bicycle).

scholarly journals Exploiting Interlimb Arm and Leg Connections for Walking Rehabilitation: A Training Intervention in Stroke

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taryn Klarner ◽  
Trevor S. Barss ◽  
Yao Sun ◽  
Chelsea Kaupp ◽  
Pamela M. Loadman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Control ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Treadmill Walking ◽  
Reflex Modulation ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Cutaneous Reflex ◽  
Walking Rehabilitation ◽  
Increased Strength ◽  
Stride Duration ◽  
Cycling Training

Rhythmic arm and leg (A&L) movements share common elements of neural control. The extent to which A&L cycling training can lead to training adaptations which transfer to improved walking function remains untested. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of A&L cycling training as a modality to improve locomotor function after stroke. Nineteen chronic stroke (>six months) participants were recruited and performed 30 minutes of A&L cycling training three times a week for five weeks. Changes in walking function were assessed with (1) clinical tests; (2) strength during isometric contractions; and (3) treadmill walking performance and cutaneous reflex modulation. A multiple baseline (3 pretests) within-subject control design was used. Data show that A&L cycling training improved clinical walking status increased strength by ~25%, improved modulation of muscle activity by ~25%, increased range of motion by ~20%, decreased stride duration, increased frequency, and improved modulation of cutaneous reflexes during treadmill walking. On most variables, the majority of participants showed a significant improvement in walking ability. These results suggest that exploiting arm and leg connections with A&L cycling training, an accessible and cost-effective training modality, could be used to improve walking ability after stroke.

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