Automated quantification and comparison of spatio-temporal gait parameters during treadmill and overground walking

A critical part of rehabilitation is providing effective ways to document changes in balance and mobility restrictions/limitations. For overground walking, spatio-temporal gait parameters are widely collected using the GAITRite instrumented carpet. In addition to overground walking, treadmill walking has been shown to be an important tool in rehabilitation. An important advantage of treadmill walking is control over gait speed, which is essential when comparing most gait parameters over time and between participants, as speed can significantly influence the gait patterns. Thus, in this research, software was developed to analyze pressure data and calculate spatio-temporal gait parameters during treadmill walking. A flexible pressure mat was placed under the belt of any treadmill in order to record the foot pressures while the participant was walking. The calculated treadmill parameters were compared to the parameters obtained during overground walking on the GAITRite carpet at a similar speed and to treadmill walking at a fast speed, with and without hand support. Results showed that the spatio-temporal parameters which described the treadmill gait were similar to those describing overground gait. In addition, speed and hand support was shown to cause substantial changes in all parameters.