System of Reporting and Comparing Influence of Ambulatory Aids on Gait

The purposes of this study were to 1) present a standardized approach for describing gait when assistive devices are used, 2) report reference data for unassisted and assisted gait patterns for normal adults, and 3) discuss clinical implications for selected variables of gait. Using an automated gait system, measurements for temporal and distance factors and accelerometry were ob-tained for 25 normal young adults. In addition to the formulation of a new system for describing gait patterns when assistive devices are used, the results of the study were that 1) subjects walked slower with ambulatory aids than without them, 2) assisted gaits with the same number of counts per cycle tended to have similar measurements, 3) reciprocal swing times and stance times were symmetrical for all types of gait studied, 4) double stance times and step times were asymmetrical for three types of assisted gait, and 5) vertical accelerations were disproportionately elevated for most assisted gaits. Key Words: Crutches, Gait, Physical therapy. Assistive devices such as canes, crutches, and walk