Quantitative gait analysis - comparison of rheumatoid arthritic and non-arthritic subjects

This study quantified differences in the gait parameters of velocity and stride length at three different self selected speeds between 113 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and 104 normal controls stratified for age and gender. Significant differences were found between the well-matched groups of females 50-64 and over 65 years of age at all three speeds for both gait parameters. Females younger than 50 years of age, however, differed from their controls only at normal and fast velocities. The gait of males appeared to be less affected by the disease as only males over 65 years of age differed significantly from their controls and then only at the fast self selected speed. These data provide a base from which to judge the efficacy of therapeutic intervention in the arthritic population.