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Updated: Mar 29, 2026
Clinical-oriented Three-dimensional Gait Analysis Method for Evaluating Gait Disorder
Published on: March 4, 2018
The use of instrumented gait analysis for individually tailored interdisciplinary interventions in children with
Helle Mätzke Rasmussen1,2, Niels Wisbech Pedersen3,4, Søren Overgaard5,6
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark. helrasmussen@health.sdu.dk.
Insights
Instrumented gait analysis (IGA) offers a more detailed assessment of gait impairments in children with cerebral palsy (CP). This study compares IGA-guided interventions to standard care, aiming to improve gait outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit altered gait patterns.
- Current assessments, including 'care as usual,' do not fully capture neuro-musculoskeletal impairments affecting gait.
- 3-dimensional instrumented gait analysis (IGA) provides a more comprehensive gait evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if individually tailored interventions guided by IGA lead to superior gait improvements in children with CP compared to 'care as usual'.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of IGA in optimizing gait interventions for pediatric CP.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial.
- Inclusion of children aged 5-8 years with spastic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I-II).
- Comparison of IGA-based interventions versus 'care as usual' with a 52-week primary endpoint.
Main Results:
- Primary outcome: Gait Deviation Index at 52 weeks.
- Secondary outcomes: Walking performance (1-min walk test), patient-reported functional mobility, quality of life, and participation.
- Follow-up at 26 weeks for patient-reported outcomes.
Conclusions:
- This is the first randomized controlled trial to compare IGA-guided interventions with 'care as usual' in children with CP.
- The study is expected to provide novel evidence on the utility of IGA in CP management.
Background:
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have an altered gait. Orthopaedic surgery, spasticity management, physical therapy and orthotics are used to improve the gait. Interventions are individually tailored and are planned on the basis of clinical examinations and standardised measurements to assess walking ('care as usual'). However, these measurements do not describe features in the gait that reflect underlying neuro-musculoskeletal impairments. This can be done with 3-dimensional instrumented gait analysis (IGA). The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that improvements in gait following individually tailored interventions when IGA is used are superior to those following 'care as usual'.
Methods/Design:
A prospective, single blind, randomised, parallel group study will be conducted. Children aged 5 to 8 years with spastic CP, classified at Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I or II, will be included. The interventions under investigation are: 1) individually tailored interdisciplinary interventions based on the use of IGA, and 2) 'care as usual'. The primary outcome is gait measured by the Gait Deviation Index. Secondary outcome measures are: walking performance (1-min walk test) and patient-reported outcomes of functional mobility (Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory), health-related quality of life (The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Cerebral Palsy Module) and overall health, pain and participation (The Pediatric Outcome Data Collection Instrument). The primary endpoint for assessing the outcome of the two interventions will be 52 weeks after start of intervention. A follow up will also be performed at 26 weeks; however, exclusively for the patient-reported outcomes.
Discussion:
To our knowledge, this is the first randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of an individually tailored interdisciplinary intervention based on the use of IGA versus 'care as usual' in children with CP. Consequently, the study will provide novel evidence for the use of IGA.
Trial Registration:
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02160457 . Registered June 2, 2014.
