Gait Lab
The HNRK Clinical Movement and Gait Analysis Laboratory (gait lab for short) was opened on October 29, 2009.
The main goal of developing the gait lab is to support the advancement of evidence-based rehabilitation and to improve the quality of clinical decisions related to human gait. Equally important is the opportunity to assess the need and effectiveness of various interventions.
The activities of the Clinical Movement and Gait Analysis Laboratory are not primarily focused on research, but the availability of data collected during clinical work also creates opportunities for research activities.
The HNRK gait lab is equipped with Vicon movement and gait analysis technology: 8 MX T-series infrared cameras, 2 video cameras (one for recording human movement from the front, the other from the side view). In addition, 2 AMTI force platforms. The use of the lab’s technical solutions is based on Vicon software: programs Vicon Nexus, Vicon Polygon, etc., which are designed for data recording, processing, and presentation.
As the gait lab is part of the HNRK clinical environment, the lab rooms also contain tools that facilitate physiotherapy: 2 Guldmann body weight support systems, a Panasonic JOBA Core Trainer for sitting balance and core training, and a custom-made movement track built into the floor. The room also allows for weighing people in wheelchairs with ease.
The HNRK gait lab employs 2 physiotherapists, IT specialists, and rehabilitation doctors. The gait lab is part of the Nordic Vicon Users Group (NVUG) and collaborates with several foreign laboratories and specialists.
What is gait analysis?
Gait analysis is divided into three main parts: patient preparation, data/gait recording, and analysis and presentation of recorded data.
During patient preparation:
- anthropometric measurements are performed (leg length and other anatomically important areas in the context of gait analysis are measured, such as knee and ankle joint diameters, etc.)
- clinical assessment is carried out by a physiotherapist (joint mobility, muscle strength, muscle tone, balance, etc., are assessed)
- infrared-reflective markers are placed on the person’s body
During data recording:
- the person is asked to walk as they normally do
- gait is recorded with appropriate software
- photos of the person are taken
Patient preparation and data recording take approximately 1.5 – 2.5 hours.
The analysis of recorded data is a thorough and time-consuming process.
The analysis results are delivered to the examined person or the institution/specialist who ordered the study, in an agreed format and within an agreed timeframe. Clinical measurement results, observations during gait, recorded data, etc., are used in data analysis.
The main specificity of 3D gait analysis is the ability to visualize the subject’s movement significantly more accurately than observation-based gait assessment allows, thereby creating added value for various clinical decisions based on gait analysis results.
More precisely visualizable and evaluable parameters are as follows:
- Spatio-temporal parameters – gait speed, step length, width, etc.
- Kinematic parameters – information characterizing joint mobility throughout the gait cycle
- Kinetic parameters – information related to joint moments and power moving the joint
- Parameters characterizing muscle activity
In conducting gait analysis and recording—processing—interpreting the results, the most crucial role belongs to the people involved in the process.
The success of the entire analysis is based on conducting correct measurements and precise marker placement. Therefore, the HNRK gait lab places great importance on employee learning and training processes and finding opportunities for the development of expert personnel.
When conducting gait analysis, it is important to know what is intended to be found out with the analysis.
In which cases is gait analysis not possible?
Gait analysis cannot be performed for people who:
- cannot walk
- are overweight, as excessive subcutaneous tissue movement causes an unavoidable measurement error for studying joint mobility
- use the following mobility aids: high rollator, low rollator, walking frame, etc.
- tire very quickly (faster than 30 min) and need to lie down to rest
- are mentally unstable
- are mentally underdeveloped and therefore do not understand what is being done with them
In global practice, the majority of gait analyses are performed with children, especially children with cerebral palsy, to make decisions regarding the need for various orthopedic surgical interventions, to justify the use of orthoses, etc. Gait analysis is increasingly being applied in the treatment of adults as well: for example, in solving gait problems for people with partial spinal cord injury, stroke, knee and hip prostheses. Most often, orthopedic surgeons use the results of gait analyses to make informed decisions in cooperation with rehabilitation doctors, orthotists, physiotherapists, biomedical engineers, and other specialists.
How to get a gait analysis?
To get a gait analysis, it is necessary to contact the HNRK gait lab: send a description of the person to be examined, their main health and mobility problems. It is necessary to formulate the question for the gait analysis.
Currently, gait analysis is not state-funded, therefore, the examinee’s co-payment or the presence of sponsors is required.
To register for gait analysis, please contact the HNRK reception at tel. +372 47 25 404.