Award Date

5-2015

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

Advisor 1

Robbin Hickman

First Committee Member

Merrill Landers

Second Committee Member

Kai Yu Ho

Third Committee Member

Merrill Landers

Number of Pages

43

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the usability, reliability, and objectivity of four tools that represented varying gait analysis technologies used in clinical practice and/or research. Low technology clinical tools included the Gait Abnormality Rating Scale (GARS-M) and the Rancho Los Amigos Observational Gait Analysis (Rancho OGA). High technology tools included the GAITRiteÒ computerized walkway, and the APDM Mobility LabÔ wearable sensor system.

Subjects: 74 healthy adults ages 18-41 years (mean = 24.82, SD = 4.39) 33 males and 40 females.

Methods: Subjects were instructed to walk at a self-selected speed for two minutes during which clinical and spatiotemporal gait characteristics were measured concurrently using the four tools.

Results: A qualitative analysis was created to display usability characteristics for each tool. GARS-M and Rancho OGA yielded fair to moderate Inter-rater reliability scores (K=0.41, K=0.31) and moderate Intra-rater reliability scores (ICC3,2=0.65, ICC3,2 = 0.64, ICC3,2=0.48, ICC3,2=0.53). Comparison analysis of GARS-M and Rancho OGA resulted in a high specificity (Sp=0.96) and high positive likelihood ratio (+LR=13.6). No significant difference was found between the seven gait variables measured by GAITRite® and Mobility LabÔ however Pearson correlation analysis showed significant correlations between three of seven measured gait variables: cadence(p<0.001), gait cycle time(p=<0.001), and double limb support % of cycle(p=0.026).

Conclusion: This study showed the GARS-M and Rancho OGA may be useful for clinical gait analysis but objective data are not comparable to the high technology tools. The GAITRiteÒ offers desirable objective data for research but usability factors and high cost may deter its use in the clinic. Mobility LabÔ may be the most suitable for both clinical and research use as it offers objective data combined with established clinical measures and more favorable usability factors compared to GAITRiteÒ.

Keywords

Gait in humans; Gait in humans--Analysis; Neck pain; Physical therapy

Disciplines

Applied Statistics | Physical Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy | Statistics and Probability

File Format

pdf

File Size

995 Kb

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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