Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 8, 2025
Clinical-oriented Three-dimensional Gait Analysis Method for Evaluating Gait Disorder
Published on: March 4, 2018
[Evaluation of function and limiting factors of gait disorder treatment in cerebral palsy: development of the Walking
I Martínez-Caballero1, G Chorbadjian-Alonso2,3, R M Egea-Gámez1
1Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, 28009 Madrid, España.
Introduction:
The Gross Motor Function Classification System has allowed us to stratificate cerebral palsy patients, according to their walking abilities. The lack of sensitivity about detecting changes and the absence of a global patient evaluation, justify the search of new pre-operative evaluation tools.
Aims:
To present the Walking Abilities Levels Classification System (WALCS) and to show the first inter-observer agreement study that has been carried out. This system uses first a different pattern for ordering gait functional skills, and after that, evaluates the reversibility of the contextual factors that may limit the result of a gait disorder treatment.
Subjects And Methods:
A new evaluation frame was built by an interdisciplinary team with an average professional experience of more than 15 years, initially focused as part of the pre-surgical patient evaluation. An inter-observer agreement study was held to gain the first insight of it. 14 participants studied the medical reports and gait lab video images of 10 cases.
Results:
The kappa index was 0.76 for the walking ability level, 0.79 for the biological type, 0.69 psychological type and 0.64 social type of limiting factors.
Conclusions:
The WALCS offers a new evaluation frame gathering patient walking skills and limiting factors treatment. The initial inter-observer agreement rate endorsed more intra- and inter-studies in order to achieve a more robust validation.
