Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 3.4
Gait with Primewalk.
3.3 INTRODUCTION OF WALKING ABILITY AND PREDICTION OF
WALKING ABILITY OF PRIMEWALK
We surveyed walking abilities and walking independence with Primewalk
(Suzuki; (2007)).
Walking abilities were determined with 45 patients with SCI. All the subjects
were fulfill following criteria: (1) ASIA Impairment Scale grades A, B, or C and
wheelchair-dependent in daily living, (2) training periods of at least 1 month for
orthotic gait as an in-patient, (3) completion of gait training during in-patient
rehabilitation and, (4) the presence of no comorbidity that forced patients to lessen
the training dose. The subject group consisted of 36 men and 9 women with
a mean age of 34.0 years. Level of neurological impairment was classified into
three groups: a cervical group (C) with neurological levels between C6 and C8;
an upper-middle thoracic group (UT) with T4-T10 levels, and a thoracolumbar
group(TL)(T12-L1 levels). The degree of gait independence was rated by the fol-
lowing five-point scale: outdoor independent gait (5 points), indoor independent
gait (4 points), indoor supervised gait (3 points), indoor assisted gait (2 points), and
gait within parallel bars (1 points).
Table 3.1
shows the relationship between the
neurological level and the degree of gait independence. Five of 10 patients (50%)
in group C were able to walk without assistance, but only one was independent
Tab l e 3 . 1
Degree of Independence of Gait Gccording to Neurological Level with Prime-
walk.
Level of injury
C6 C7 C8 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T12 L1
Degree of independence of gait
Outdoor independent
1
4
Indoor independent
2
2
2
2
3
2
1
3
3
Indoor assited
2
1
1
2
1
within parallel bar
1
1
1
1
45 cases, 34.0
±
13.2 yo male/female: 36/9
