Use of a gait abnormality index for locomotion efficiency evaluation

A number of gait curves obtained from 16 healthy, able-bodied adult males were selected as "normal" gait curves and thereafter analysed with a view to defining a "Gait Abnormality Index", which may be used as quantitative measure of human performance in locomotion. Similar studies on five groups of handicapped subjects, each group having 8 to 10 subjects with a particular type of handicap, indicate the suitability of this index for application in locomotion efficiency evaluation.