Article

When walking with an advanced reciprocating gait orthosis (ARGO),
ankle and knee joint motion is restricted which causes an un-cosmetic gait compared to normal walking. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate
a rocker modification for use with the ARGO in order to improve hip joint
kinematics, walking speed, step length and cadence.
METHOD: Spinal cord injury
patients (n = 4) with thoracic-level injury participated in this study, and
walked with a standard ARGO and one which was also adapted with a rocker sole in
a randomized order. RESULTS: Mean walking speed and step length were both
significantly increased by volunteer SCI subjects when ambulating using the ARGO
adapted with a rocker sole compared to the standard ARGO. Cadence was not
significantly affected, but swing time was significantly reduced and mean hip
flexion and extension were both significantly increased when walking with the adapted ARGO. CONCLUSION: The rocker sole modification produced an increase in
walking speed and step length, and improved sagittal plane hip joint kinematics
when ambulating using an ARGO. Using this type of shoe modification has the
potential to improve gait parameters in SCI patients compared to the standard
unmodified version. Implications for Rehabilitation The ARGO adapted with a
rocker sole could be used by spinal cord injury patients. A major advantage of
the walking with the ARGO adapted with a rocker sole was increased of walking
speed and step length, and improvement of the sagittal plane hip joint
kinematics. The findings of this study would appear to provide useful data for
rehabilitation teams who utilize orthoses to walk and rehabilitate SCI subjects.
Using this type of shoe modification has the potential to improve gait parameters
in SCI patients compared to the standard un-modified version.

Langue : ANGLAIS