1. THE IMPORTANCE OF
CLINICAL GAIT ANALYSIS
THE CLINICAL IMPORTANCE OF
GAIT ANALYSIS
GERAINT DAVIES
SHEFFIELD CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

2. WHAT IS CLINICAL GAIT
ANALYSIS?
Assembling the jigsaw:
• Clinical diagnosis
• Radiology
• Observational analysis
• Video
• Clinical examination
• Instrumented gait analysis: K;K;O2;EMG; etc

3. INSTRUMENTED GAIT ANALYSIS
• Measurement tool
• Natural history
• Feedback and assessment of
treatments
• Development of sophisticated models
• Improved understanding

4. GAIT ANALYSIS AND
PERCEPTION
• One must learn to see
• One sees only what one
has learned to see
• Seeing is not perception
• Perception is not
understanding
Prof Gregory, Bristol Café Wall Illusion.
Eye & Brain.

6. VISUAL GAIT ANALYSIS
• Perception in real time is difficult
• Analysis of events at the hip is suspect
• Edinburgh Visual Gait Score
• Slow motion/freeze frame video
• Pattern recognition

7. Objective measurement tools
• Kinematics
• Kinetics
• EMG
• Oxygen uptake
• Modelling
• Mapping
• Statistical power
• Measurement of
attributes/prerequisites
• Potential for predictive
treatment planning

8. IS GAIT ANALYSIS OF
BENEFIT?
CONCERNS WITH ACCURACY
•Skaggs 1999. Data of 7 patients to 12
institutions.
•Noonan 2003. Inter observer
variability of gait analysis in CP. 11
patients to 4 centres.

9. IS GAIT ANALYSIS OF BENEFIT?
• More powerful than visual analysis
• Outcomes improved in GA group
• Improvement correlates with adoption
of recommendations
• Allows statistical retrospective analysis

10. SUMMARY
• A tool for better
assessment
• An opportunity for
objective reflection
• A means to critically
evaluate treatments
• A means to improve
one’s imperfect
knowledge.