Effect of speed on the upper and contralateral lower limb coordination during gait in individuals with stroke

The purposes of this study were to investigate the upper and contralateral lower limb coordination and to study the effect of speed on the upper and contralateral lower limb coordination in individuals with stroke and control groups. Thirty individuals with stroke who were able to walk independently without using any assistive devices and 30 control individuals were recruited for the study. Upper and contralateral lower limb coordination was analyzed using the shoulder and contralateral hip displacements in the sagittal plane. All data were analyzed by three-dimensional gait analysis. Results demonstrated high degrees of coordination in the upper and contralateral lower limbs of the controls and in the unaffected upper and affected lower limbs of individuals with stroke. Gait speed was found to be associated with the upper and contralateral lower limb coordination in individuals with stroke but not in the controls. The findings implied that the affected upper limb plays an important role for improving gait coordination and is necessary for gait performance in individuals with stroke. Thus, health professionals should exercise the affected arm to increase efficiency of walking in individuals with stroke. Copyright (c) 2012, Elsevier Taiwan LLC. All rights reserved.