Resumen de Kinematic analysis of gait in individuals with spastic hemiparesis secondary to stroke
Patrick Jacobsen Westphal, Jussara Rocha Ferreira, Vinícius Mazzochi Schmitt, Fernanda Cechetti, Leandro Bonetti, Raquel Saccani
Aims: To evaluate linear and angular kinematics of gait in patients with spastic hemiparesis secondary to stroke considering reference values and the unaffected limb.
Methods: Cross-sectional study of adult patients with spastic hemiparesis secondary to stroke selected from the Physical Therapy Clinic of Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS). The kinematic gait analysis was performed at the Human Motion Biomechanical Analysis Laboratory at UCS according to Larouche’s protocol. Descriptive statistics, one-sample t test, and paired t test were used for the data analysis. Statistical significance was set as p<0.05.
Results: Eight adult male and female individuals aged 43 to 59 years were assessed. All variables indicated a significant difference in the linear kinematics of the gait of the affected limb. By comparing the lower limbs, stride length and rate were significantly higher in the affected hemibody. Angular kinematics was significantly different from reference values, except for hip flexion. There was a lower angular variation (flexion/extension) in the knee of the affected limb in comparison to the healthy one.
Conclusions: This study showed changes in the gait kinematics of the affected limb in hemiparetic patients after a stroke in comparison to normal patterns and to the contralateral limb, which indicates an unusual flexor pattern. These changes may be related to poor balance and motor control, muscle weakness, proprioceptive deficit, increased muscle tone, contractures, and deformities.
