A cheap telemetric system for analyzing gait

This study presents a technique for gait analysis, developed for the assessment of footfall timing and speed. The system in question consists of a transmitter, a receiver, a conductive walkway and a PC with the appropriate software. The technique was first tested for accuracy and repeatability with known signals, and was validated with a group of 20 healthy male adults (mean age = 34 years, S.D. = 5.5). The results thus obtained were similar to those reported in the literature for corresponding groups. Then, measurements on 10 children suffering from cerebral palsy (spastic hemiplegia) were performed. Gait analysis was carried out just before surgery and one year post-operatively. The results confirm the validity of the technique for measurements on orthopedic patients and its efficiency for functional evaluation of gait improvement after surgery. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.