Motion of the body centre of gravity as a summary indicator of the mechanics of human pathological gait

Abnormal movements of the body segments due to lowest level gait disorders such as musculoskeletal disorders, peripheral neuropathies and radiculopathies or middle-level disorders such as hemiplegia, paraplegia and dystonia influence the motion of the centre of gravity (CG) during walking. The translation of the CG can be studied by the work done by muscles (WExt) with respect to the ground. The efficacy of gait's mechanism can be quantified by the energy transferred between gravitational potential and kinetic energies (recovery). WExt and recovery were investigated in lowest and middle-level gait disorders during level walking. No statistical significant difference was observed between patients with lowest-level gait disorders and normal subjects. However, WExt was increased for the patients with middle-level gait disorders and recovery decreased up to 20%. The measurement of changes in mechanical energy of the CG might be a summary indicator for the mechanics of pathological gait. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.