[Quantification of gait using insole type foot pressure monitor : clinical application for chronic hemiplegia]

Home-based stroke hemiplegia patients tend to fall easily. Poor toe clearance is reported to be one of the causes of falling, although there are many other related factors. We developed a low-priced insole type portable foot pressure measurement device, and measured the foot pressure distribution and the foot pressure-time curve of 20 chronic hemiplegia patients and compared them with 36 healthy controls. We also analyzed the outdoor gait of a chronic hemiplegia patient on flat ground, on rough terrain, walking up stairs and on a downward slope. The result was that the load rate of the unaffected heel was significantly increased in hemiplegic gait, and there was a significant negative correlation between the affected side stance phase rate and gait time for 10 m distance (r = -0.73, P < 0.01). The primary role of the unaffected side and the poor toe clearance on the affected side were assured in the uneven ground gait, and it was suggested that chronic hemiplegia patients tend to be highly dependent on their unaffected side during indoor and outdoor gait.