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  • Title: Responsiveness of 2 procedures for measurement of temporal and spatial gait parameters in older adults.
    Author: Youdas JW, Childs KB, McNeil ML, Mueller AC, Quilter CM, Hollman JH.
    Journal: PM R; 2010 Jun; 2(6):537-43. PubMed ID: 20630440.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To determine the responsiveness of the GAITRite system and a stopwatch-footfall count technique for measurement of walking speed, cadence, and stride length during comfortable and fast-paced walking. DESIGN: Criterion standard. SETTING: Research laboratory in a physical therapy education program. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-four healthy volunteers (13 men, 11 women; mean age 74.5 years) without lower extremity injury or history of falls. INTERVENTIONS: Participants walked across a GAITRite mat with embedded pressure sensors at their self-selected comfortable and fast walking speeds. Simultaneously, an examiner, using a stopwatch, recorded the elapsed time necessary to cross the mat and counted the number of complete footfalls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Walking speed, cadence, and stride length were compared between the GAITRite system and the stopwatch-footfall count technique for both comfortable and fast walking speeds. Responsiveness values for each procedure were described by the 95% minimal detectable change (MDC). RESULTS: During comfortable self-paced walking, MDC values for the stopwatch-footfall count technique ranged from 10% to 65% greater than those obtained for the GAITRite system. During fast self-paced walking MDC values for the stopwatch-footfall count technique ranged from 26% to 65% larger than those measured by the GAITRite system for the temporal and spatial gait performance parameters. CONCLUSIONS: When measured by the GAITRite system, the 95% MDC values for temporal and spatial gait parameters of older community-dwelling adults were more responsive to change than those obtained by the stopwatch-footfall technique. Clinicians should recognize that self-selected walking speed, cadence, and stride length when obtained by an instrumented walkway must be equal to or exceed 12.6 cm/s, 8.4 steps/min, or 7 cm, respectively, for the change to be considered real change and not from measurement error.
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