A preliminary analysis of gait performance of patients with multiple sclerosis using a sensorized crutch tip

Abstract

The quality of life and functional mobility of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) can significantly improve with exercise and a rehabilitation therapy adjusted to the needs of each patient. The assessment of gait and functional mobility of patients with MS is usually done based on clinical scales and tests, which have various limitations. This work presents the preliminary results of a clinical study carried out with patients with MS walking with a sensorized crutch tip. This tip allows to define new indicators that can be correlated with the clinical assessment scales and provide further objective and quantitative information to assess gait performance and level of impairment of patients with MS, and characterize their gait patterns. The results suggest that parameters such as the average cycle time and the average percentage of body weight might be useful to evaluate the gait performance and level of disability. Moreover, parameters related with the pitch angle of the crutch allow to determine crutch usage patterns and spot differences between patients with similar functional performance.