Abnormal muscle activation patterns are associated with chronic gait deficits following traumatic brain injury.
Samuel A Acuña, Mitchell E Tyler, Yuri P Danilov and 1 others
PMID 29684885WHAT IT FOUND
People with chronic TBI walking deficits showed abnormal timing in shin, calf, and thigh muscles during walking.
The abnormality was linked to Dynamic Gait Index scores, not standing balance or 6-minute distance.
Key findings
01During treadmill and overground walking, TBI participants' tibialis anterior, medial gastrocnemius, and rectus femoris activation timing was less similar to healthy controls.
02Muscle timing abnormality was associated with Dynamic Gait Index scores, but not with standing balance or six-minute walk distance.
03TBI participants had a lower median preferred walking speed than controls (1.14 m/s vs 1.21 m/s).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The control group was not matched for age, height, or weight, and the TBI group was much older on average, so group differences cannot be fully separated from those factors. This was a cross-sectional observational study, so it shows association, not cause or treatment effect. The TBI group had wide variability, and differences in injury type, severity, or body dimensions were not accounted for. Some participants could not walk comfortably at their overground preferred speed on the treadmill, and two held the handrails. The analysis averaged many strides and did not account for altered timing within the gait cycle. The study did not test an intervention, so it cannot tell PTs whether targeting these muscles changes walking.
Declared interests
The supplied text lists NIH extramural and U.S. Government non-PHS research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is provided.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the muscle activation differences as a targetable cause of chronic TBI gait deficits. This was an observational comparison, not a treatment study, and the controls were not matched for age, height, or weight.