Combining F-Scan and GAITRite® for use in Clinical Gait Analysis: A Validation Study.
Abstract BackgroundClinical gait analysis is widely used to aid the assessment and diagnosis of symptomatic pathologies. Equipment based analysis provides clinicians with a more comprehensive assessment using pressure systems such as F-scan, or analysis of the spatial-temporal parameters of gait using GAITRite. There are systems however such as Strideway™ that can measure these parameters simultaneously, but can be expensive. This study aimed to determine whether standalone systems can be used collectively while still providing quality data, as a cost-effective alternative.MethodsTwenty-six participants walked on a standard floor and a GAITRite walkway, three times wearing the F-Scan system. Mid gait protocols were utilised by analysing the contact pressure of the 2 nd metatarsophalangeal joint of the third, fifth and seventh step from each walk. The Bland-Altman method was used to determine a level of agreement between the two surfaces, using mean values from all walks of all participants who successfully completed all required walks. The intraclass correlation coefficient and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient were calculated as indices of reliability.ResultsThe intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to be 0.991 and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient for the data was calculated to be 0.956, indicating very good reproducibility.ConclusionsThe level of agreement in plantar pressures observed on the two surfaces was very high, suggesting that it is feasible to use F-Scan and GAITRite® together in a clinical setting, as an alternative to other less cost-effective standalone systems.