Synergies analysis produces consistent results between motion analysis laboratories

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Gait Analysis
• Motor Control

Background:

• The dynamic motor control index during walking (walk-DMC) is a key metric for assessing lower extremity motor control during gait.
• Existing literature shows inconsistent methods for computing walk-DMC, hindering its widespread adoption in clinical practice.
• There is growing interest from motion analysis centers in utilizing walk-DMC for patient outcome assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate a standardized method for computing the walk-DMC.
• To assess the inter-laboratory consistency of the proposed walk-DMC calculation method.
• To compare the proposed method with previously published approaches.

Main Methods:

• Electromyographic analysis of lower extremity during gait.
• Comparison of typically developing controls from three independent motion analysis centers.
• Utilized a freely available program script for walk-DMC computation.

Main Results:

• The proposed standardized method demonstrated high consistency across the three participating centers.
• The new method resulted in a wider distribution of walk-DMC values compared to prior methods.
• Synergy measures were equivalent between centers when using consistent processing methods.

Conclusions:

• Standardized processing methods ensure equivalent synergy measures across different laboratories.
• The proposed walk-DMC calculation method enhances inter-laboratory reliability for gait analysis.
• Differences in reported walk-DMC values are largely attributable to trial concatenation techniques.