ToulGaitViz: a tool for the systematic description of lower limb clearance during the swing phase of hemiparetic gait after stroke. A cohort study.
Emmeline Montané, Camille Cormier, Marino Scandella and 4 others
PMID 37869760WHAT IT FOUND
Post-stroke walkers rely heavily on compensatory movements to clear the ground, unlike healthy walkers who use natural limb shortening.
A new software tool quantifies this compensation. It helps clinicians identify if gait issues stem from stiffness or excessive compensation, guiding targeted treatment.
Key findings
01Post-stroke participants achieved limb clearance with significantly higher compensation than healthy controls (130% vs 33% by centimetric method).
02The angular method of measuring clearance overestimates the contribution of hip, knee, and ankle flexion relative to pelvic compensations.
03Walking speed was only weakly correlated with limb clearance measured by the centimetric method, but moderately correlated with the angular method.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study is retrospective and observational, relying on routine care data. Normative data for some kinematic parameters were not adjusted for walking speed due to lack of literature. The percentage contribution of compensation can become numerically unstable (tending toward infinity) if total clearance is very close to zero. The study did not directly measure energy expenditure, only inferring it from compensation levels.
Declared interests
The authors certify that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in the manuscript.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that angular gait measurements fully capture the effort required for walking. This study shows the angular method underestimates the role of compensatory movements compared to the centimetric method, which may lead to missing the true source of gait inefficiency.