OBJECTIVE Simple measures of gait for routine clinical use could be useful when the complex gait analysis systems are not available. The aim of this study was to quantify asymmetry in children with spastic hemiplegia using a two-dimensional gait analysis by videography and to relate the asymmetry to motor function. METHODS Twenty-four children with spastic hemiplegia (19 males, 5 females; mea...

INTRODUCTION Stroke survivors are often left with neurological and functional deficits, which impair their ability to walk and affect their balance. This study assessed gait parameters and balance performance among stroke survivors and examined the relationship between these two factors. METHODS Seventy stroke survivors (65.7% males) who were 6 months or more post stroke participated in this ...

The authors propose that the neurological exam needs reevaluation with respect to the dynamic balance test (walking). Validated tests such as: preferred and maximum gait speed, dynamic gait index, five-times-sit-to-stand test, timed up & go cognitive and manual, should be part of the neurological examination routine. In the neurological exam of older patients, these same bedside tests bring the...

Gait disorders predict functional decline in older adults. They are often the result of multiple causes, so a full assessment should consider different sensorimotor levels and should include a focused physical examination and evaluation of functional performance. Exercise and medical and surgical interventions are effective and can reduce the degree of gait disorder, but usually not without som...

A 37-year-old woman presented in July, 2002, with a 12-year history of progressive dysarthria and ataxia. Her symptoms became noticeably worse during pregnancy in 1999 and 2001. She had also been anaemic for the past 7 years, and coeliac disease had been diagnosed in 1997. At that time, she had high serum concentrations of IgG and IgA antibodies to gliadin, an endomysial titre of 1:32, and duod...

BACKGROUND Various asymmetry indices have been proposed to compare the spatiotemporal, kinematic and kinetic parameters of lower limbs during the gait cycle. However, these indices rely on gait measurement systems that are costly and generally require manual examination, calibration procedures and the precise placement of sensors/markers on the body of the patient. METHODS To overcome these i...

A 52-year-old male noted a gradually developing dysarthria and ataxic gait. No fever or lymphadenopathy was observed, but hepatomegaly was present. A neurological examination revealed cerebellar speech, dysmetria, decomposition of the four limbs and an ataxic gait. Atypical lymphocytes were found in the blood and CSF. IgG antibody to EBV VCA was 320 x for serum and 8 x for CSF. The patient almo...

The determination of an accurate centre of rotation (CoR) from skin markers is essential for the assessment of abnormal gait patterns in clinical gait analysis. Despite the many functional approaches to estimate CoRs, no non-invasive analytical determination of the error in the reconstructed joint location is currently available. The purpose of this study was therefore to verify the residual of...

METHODS A large family is described in which mental retardation segregates as an X linked trait. Six affected males in three generations were studied by linkage and clinical examination. RESULTS Characteristic clinical features include short stature, prominent lower lip, small testes, muscle wasting of the lower legs, kyphosis, joint hyperextensibility, abnormal gait, tremor, and decreased fi...