Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2025
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Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
Published on: November 7, 2014
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Spatiotemporal gait changes in people with multiple sclerosis with different disease progression subtypes
Sumire D Sato1, Yeun Hiroi2, Danielle Zoppo2
1Neuroscience and Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA; Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Clinical Biomechanics (Bristol, Avon)
|November 26, 2022
Summary
Gait impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) differs from healthy controls, but progressive MS and relapsing-remitting MS subtypes show similar spatiotemporal gait characteristics and variability. Both MS groups exhibit reduced gait modulation compared to controls.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biomechanics
- Movement Science
Background:
- Gait impairment is a prevalent symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Limited understanding exists regarding gait differences across MS disease progression subtypes.
- Investigating spatiotemporal gait characteristics in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) versus progressive MS (PMS) is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare spatiotemporal gait parameters between healthy controls (HC) and MS subtypes (RRMS, PMS).
- To analyze gait variability and modulation differences across these groups at preferred and fast walking speeds.
- To elucidate gait alterations specific to MS disease progression.
Main Methods:
- Inclusion of 27 HC, 18 RRMS, and 13 PMS participants.
- Utilized six inertial sensors for overground walking analysis.
- Assessed gait at preferred and fast-as-possible walking speeds without assistive devices.
Main Results:
- Both MS groups demonstrated significantly lower walking speed than HC.
- A trend indicated lower preferred gait speed in PMS compared to RRMS.
- While most spatiotemporal parameters differed between HC and MS, significant differences between MS subtypes were minimal.
- Both MS groups exhibited reduced gait modulation compared to HC, with no significant subtype differences.
Conclusions:
- Gait is demonstrably altered in individuals with MS compared to healthy controls.
- Despite potential progression, ambulatory individuals with PMS and RRMS show comparable gait parameters and variability.
- Clinically meaningful gait decrements may not be substantially greater in PMS than RRMS if gait speed remains similar.
