Gait and Balance
Walking is evaluated using wearable devices that measure gait characteristics during normal walking - gait speed, cadence, body position and foot pressure distribution. Foot pressure distribution may affect stability during walking and contribute to falls. Balance is evaluated using a force plate that measures center of pressure displacement during standing. Muscle activity is measured using surface electromyography. Our unique approach to gait and balance testing is combining measures of locomotion with measurements of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular parameters.
Instrumentation
Gait characteristics and pressure distribution during walking Pedar Mobile - (Novel Inc GE (http://www.novel.de)
Gait Logger – wearable system for gait and activity monitoring system using B&L foot switches.
Surface Electromyography- 8 channel surface EMG Bagnoli System (http://www.delsys.com).
Balance assessment – measurements of center of pressure distribution during standing (Kistler force plate, Kistler Inc http://www.kistler.com) and analysis of center of pressure displacement using traditional and dynamic balance measures.
ME6000 (Mega Elektronica, Inc) – wearable 8 channel system for monitoring ECG, EMG, gait and activity up to 24 hours (http://www.meltd.fi).
Methods for Analysis
Traditional posturographic measures, gait characteristics, time series i.e. analysis-stabilogram diffusion analysis, multiscale entropy.
Postural control is assessed from the center of pressure (COP) displacements using stabilogram-diffusion analysis that provides dynamics measures of COP fluctuations. The COP signals behave as a positively correlated random walk over short-time scales characterized by a Hurst exponent.
