Frequently Asked Questions about Clinical Gait Analysis

So how do you go about teaching them something new? By mixing what they know with what they don't know. Then, when they see vaguely in their fog something they recognize, they think, "Ah, I know that." And then it's just one more step to, "Ah, I know the whole thing." And their mind thrusts forward into the unknown and they begin to recognize what they didn't know before and they increase their powers of understanding.

                                                                                                                        Pablo Picasso, in Life with Picasso (Francoise Gilot and Carton Lake, 1965)
 
Introductory  Identifying Segment Locations Practical difficulties Smoothing
Electromyography Normalisation Anthropometry/Modeling Understanding Gait
File Formats Clinical Issues Gait Lab Admin

Introductory

  • textbooks on gait analysis
  • history of biomechanics, gait and motion analysis
  • Gait Analysis Courses around the world
  • Classification of Gait Abnormalities
  • Gait Cycle Terminology
  • Concept map for understanding gait biomechanics

    • Clinical Issues & Observational Gait Analysis

  • gait symptoms
  • observational gait analysis
  • painful & antalgic gait
  • 10 main pointers to look for
  • The limping child: diagnosis and management
  • adults with cerebral palsy

    • Practical difficulties

  • how big does a gait lab need to be?
  • hitting the force-platform
  • estimating foot contact and toe-off with kinematic data
  • effect of walkway carpeting
  • effect of shoes
  • methods for attaching markers
  • reliability of marker placement
  • effect of walking aids
  • effect of arm-swing on gait
  • gait analysis with orthoses
  • physiological cost index (PCI)
  • making simple foot switches
  • centrifugal force & inertial frames
  • treadmill gait
  • turning gait
  • digital video camcorders
  • statistics
  • what's wrong with significance testing?

    • Identifying segment locations

  • 2D angle calculation - notes, spreadsheet
  • methods for representing 3D angles
  • foot models
  • The Direct Linear Transform
  • marker identification
  • marker-less tracking
  • common marker sets
  • choice of marker set
  • hip joint center defintion
  • varus/valgus artifact & Cleveland marker set
  • marker-skin motion
  • coefficient of variation

    • Smoothing & differentiation

  • interpolation of missing markers
  • optimal filtering vs. fixed cutoff frequency
  • choice of cut-off frequency
  • accuracy of differentiation

    • EMG

  • quantification measures
  • determination of onset times

    • Normalisation

  • normal data for adults and children
  • gender effects
  • Body mass & Stature or limb-length
  • Time
  • Velocity, cadence & stride length
  • Variability in joint moment & power patterns

    • Anthropometry & Modeling

  • Joint centre estimation
  • Hip-joint centre estimation
  • Knee anthropometry
  • measurement vs. regression estimation
  • Accuracy requirements
  • Prostheses
  • Modeling techniques used in gait analysis

    • Understanding gait

  • kinematics
  • the Determinants of Gait
  • forces & moments
  • friction & resolving forces
  • origin of ground reaction forces
  • center of pressure
  • calculating the centre of pressure
  • inverse-dynamics
  • hip activity around initial contact
  • passive vs. active dynamics
  • interpretation of joint moments and powers
  • segment powers
  • balance
  • control of motion & locomotion
  • central pattern generators (CPGs)
  • the spinal engine
  • how many steps do we take in a year?
  • femoral anteversion & tibial torsion

    • File Formats

  • the C3D file format
  • the GCD and DST format

    • And frequent administrative questions...

  • how much to charge for a gait analysis, how many patients per week?
  • how to start a gait-lab?
  • how big does a gait lab need to be?
  • applications of clinical gait analysis
  • prevalence of joint symptoms in US
  • what to call a gait lab?


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    Maintained byDr Chris Kirtley
    Last modified on  16-Feb-2005