The Arm Posture Score for assessing arm swing during gait : An evaluation of adding rotational components and the effect of different gait speeds

• In 3D gait analysis, quantification of leg movements is well established, whereas ameasure of armswing has been lacking. Recently, the Arm Posture Score (APS) was introduced to characterize arm movements in children with cerebral palsy, including information from four variables (APS(4)) in the sagittal and frontal planes. A potential limitation of the APS is that it does not include rotational movements and has not yet been evaluated with regard to gait speed. The aims of this study were (i) to investigate the effect on APS of adding two components of arm rotation (APS(6)) and (ii) to determine the influence of gait speed on the APS measures, when applied to non-disabled adults. Forty-two subjects walked 10 m at a selfselected speed (1.34 m/s), and in addition a subgroup of 28 subjects walked at a slowspeed (0.66 m/s) set by a metronome. Data were collected from markers in a whole-body set up and by eight optoelectronic cameras. The results demonstrated significantly higher APS(6) than APS(4) values for both arms, irrespective of gait speed. Speed condition, whether self-selected or slow, had a significant effect on both APS measures. The two additional arm components are suggested to provide relevant information about arm swing during walking. However, APS(6) needs to be implemented in gait analysis of individuals with gait arm pathologies in order to further examine its utility. Werecommend that gait speed should to be taken into account when using APS measures to quantify arm swing during gait. (C) 2014 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Sjukgymnastik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Physiotherapy (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Arm movements

Walking

Arm Posture Score

Gait speed

Physiotherapy

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