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Postural Organization of Gait Initiation for Biomechanical Analysis Using Force Platform Recordings
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Relationship between gait initiation and disability in individuals affected by multiple sclerosis
Manuela Galli1, Giancarlo Coghe2, Paola Sanna3
1Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy; Gait Analysis Lab, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders
|November 23, 2015
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) impairs gait initiation by affecting anticipatory postural adjustments. This study found that reduced backward center of pressure shifts in MS patients correlate with increased disability, indicating impaired balance mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomechanics
- Movement Science
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) significantly impacts voluntary motor functions, including gait.
- Gait initiation (GI) is a complex motor task crucial for mobility, involving anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs).
- Understanding MS-related alterations in GI is vital for assessing disability and developing interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effects of MS on gait initiation execution.
- To compare center of pressure (COP) patterns during GI between MS patients and healthy controls.
- To correlate GI parameters with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in MS patients.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-five MS subjects and 35 healthy controls performed gait initiation on a force platform.
- Center of pressure (COP) time-series data were collected and analyzed.
- Extracted parameters were statistically compared and correlated with EDSS scores.
Main Results:
- A reduced posterior COP shift during APAs was observed in MS patients.
- This impairment in APAs was significantly correlated with higher EDSS scores.
- Most observed gait initiation alterations in MS patients stem from impaired APAs.
Conclusions:
- Gait initiation is demonstrably affected in individuals with multiple sclerosis.
- Impaired anticipatory postural adjustments, specifically a reduced posterior COP shift, are a key contributor to gait initiation deficits in MS.
- The degree of impairment in APAs correlates with the severity of neurological disability as measured by EDSS.
