Differential responses to measures of gait performance among healthy and neurologically impaired individuals

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 84; no. 12; pp. 1774 - 1779
• Main Authors: Cunha-Filho, Inácio Teixeira da, Henson, Helene, Qureshy, Huma, Williams, Amanda L, Holmes, Sally A, Protas, Elizabeth J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.12.2003; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Cerebrovascular accident; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Energy Metabolism - physiology; Exercise Test; Female; Gait; Gait - physiology; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Oxygen consumption; Oxygen Consumption - physiology; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; Stroke - physiopathology; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Cerebrovascular accident; Oxygen consumption; Spinal cord injuries; Rehabilitation; Gait; Performance evaluation; Human; Nervous system diseases; Traumatology; Response; Walking; Cerebrovascular accident: Gait; Reeducation; Accident; Individual; Orthopedics; Central nervous system disease; Performance; Spinal cord disease; Spinal cord traumatism
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0003-9993(03)00373-3

Cunha-Filho IT, Henson H, Qureshy H, Williams AL, Holmes SA, Protas EJ. Differential responses to measures of gait performance among healthy and neurologically impaired individuals. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003;84:1774–9. To compare gait during a 5-minute walk among healthy individuals, persons with spinal cord injury (SCI), and stroke survivors and to investigate whether simultaneous measures of oxygen consumption enhance information about performance. Descriptive study. Veterans Affairs medical center. Thirty-nine healthy individuals, 10 persons with SCI, and 20 stroke survivors. Participants were fitted with a portable gas analyzer and walked on a 5-m walkway for 5 minutes. Measures of walk distance, gait speed, gait energy expenditure (GEE), and gait cost were obtained, along with measures of ventilation (V̇ e), ventilation and carbon dioxide production slope (V̇ e·V̇ co 2), oxygen pulse, and heart rate. The SCI group (127.65±81.74m) walked less than the stroke survivors (148.80±64.3m) or the healthy group (268.90±35.01m) but had higher energy demands, as shown by GEE (SCI group, 13.28±3.23mL·kg −1·min −1; stroke group, 10.18±2.14mL·kg −1·min −1; healthy group, 9.61±1.90mL·kg −1·min −1) and by gait cost (SCI group, .57±.40 mL·kg −1·m −1; stroke group, .40±.52mL·kg −1·m −1; healthy group, .18±.02mL·kg −1·m −1). Compared with the healthy group, the stroke group had higher V̇ e (stroke group, 22.34±5.20L/min vs healthy group, 16.11±3.22L/min) and V̇ e·V̇ co 2 slope (24.22±8.80 vs 18.73±5.44, respectively). Use of metabolic assessment during the 5-minute walk was feasible and provided further information for evaluating gait performance with the subjects studied.