Gait characteristics of post-stroke hemiparetic patients with different walking speeds.
Yiji Wang, Masahiko Mukaino, Kei Ohtsuka and 6 others
PMID 31855899WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke patients had similar overall stride and step length to matched controls, but timing was more variable and asymmetric.
Affected-side stance and swing were longer at slower speeds, and asymmetry appeared across speed groups.
Key findings
01Overall stride length, cadence, and step length did not differ significantly between stroke patients and matched controls.
02Affected-side stance and swing times were longer than controls, while unaffected-side swing time was shorter, and asymmetry was higher.
03The longer stride seen in slower walkers was not found when patients walked without a handrail.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective and used treadmill data from one hospital database, so it does not show how patients walk in daily life. Healthy control data came from an earlier database developed for method work, not a prospectively planned control group. Many low-speed patients used a handrail, and the low-speed stride difference was not seen in handrail-free comparison. Sex ratio differed between patients and controls in the slowest speed groups. The study compared gait parameters, not patient outcomes, treatment effects, or fall risk.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that stroke patients walk with longer stride length at all speeds. The overall comparison was not significant, and the low-speed stride difference was not seen when patients walked without a handrail.