Background

Functional ambulation limitations are features of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and knee osteoarthritis (OA). With numerous validated walking assessment protocols and a vast number of spatiotemporal gait parameters available from sensor-based assessment, there is a critical need for selection of appropriate test protocols and variables for research and clinical applications.

Research question

In patients with knee OA and LSS, what are the best sensor-derived gait parameters and the most suitable clinical walking test to discriminate between these patient populations and controls?

Methods

We collected foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) data during three walking tests (fast-paced walk test-FPWT, 6-min walk test– 6MWT, self-paced walk test – SPWT) for subjects with LSS, knee OA and matched controls (N = 10 for each group). Spatiotemporal gait characteristics were extracted and pairwise compared (Omega partial squared – ω_p²) between patients and controls.

Results

We found that normal paced walking tests (6MWT, SPWT) are better suited for distinguishing gait characteristics between patients and controls. Among the sensor-based gait parameters, stance and double support phase timing were identified as the best gait characteristics for the OA population discrimination, whereas foot flat ratio, gait speed, stride length and cadence were identified as the best gait characteristics for the LSS population discrimination.

Significance

These findings provide guidance on the selection of sensor-derived gait parameters and clinical walking tests to detect alterations in mobility for people with LSS and knee OA.

中文翻译：

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区分活动受限的肌肉骨骼疾病的步态特征：腰椎管狭窄和膝骨关节炎。

背景

功能性活动受限是腰椎管狭窄（LSS）和膝骨关节炎（OA）的特征。有了众多经过验证的步行评估协议以及基于传感器的评估可获得的大量时空步态参数，迫切需要为研究和临床应用选择合适的测试协议和变量。

研究问题

对于患有膝OA和LSS的患者，最好的传感器衍生的步态参数和最合适的临床步行测试来区分这些患者群体和对照组？

方法

我们针对患有LSS，膝盖OA并与之匹配的受试者的三个步行测试（快节奏步行测试FPWT，6分钟步行测试– 6MWT，自定节奏步行测试– SPWT）收集了脚底惯性测量单位（IMU）数据对照（每组N = 10）。时空步态特征提取和成对比较- （欧米茄局部平方ω _p ²患者和对照之间）。

结果

我们发现正常的步行步伐测试（6MWT，SPWT）更适合区分患者和对照组之间的步态特征。在基于传感器的步态参数中，姿势和双支撑阶段时机被确定为OA人群识别的最佳步态特征，而脚扁平率，步速，步幅和步频被确定为LSS人群的最佳步态特征。歧视。

意义

这些发现为选择传感器衍生的步态参数和进行临床步行测试提供指导，以检测LSS和膝OA患者的活动性变化。