Abstract
Foot progression angle (FPA) is a gait-related clinical measurement commonly used for assessing the rotational profile of the lower extremity. This study examined the accuracy of two methods based on force-plate data for estimating FPA during walking by comparing them with a reference method using a motion capture system. Ten healthy adults performed a series of overground walking trials at three different speeds: slow, preferred and fast. FPA was estimated from two methods using data on center of pressure—one method previously reported in the literature, and a novel method proposed here. The FPA estimated by each of these two force-plate methods were compared with the reference FPA determined from kinematic data. Results showed that the novel force-plate method was more accurate and precise when measuring the FPA in the three speed conditions than the force-plate method previously reported in the literature. The mean absolute error obtained with this novel method was 3.3° ± 2.1° at slow speed, 2.0° ± 1.2° at preferred speed and 2.0° ± 1.2° at fast speed, with no significant effect of gait speed (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that the novel force-plate method proposed here is valid for determining FPA during walking at various speeds. In the absence of kinematic data, this method constitutes an attractive alternative for measuring FPA.
Highlights
Foot progression angle (FPA) is an important gait-related clinical measurement
An analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that there was no significant effect of method × speed interaction on FPA (p > 0.05)
ANOVA indicated a significant effect of the method on FPA (F = 6.37; p < 0.01)
Summary
Foot progression angle (FPA) is an important gait-related clinical measurement. Motion capture systems are considered as the “gold standard” [11], this technology has some limitations, such as its cost, the time required to prepare the participant and the complexity of collecting measurements [12]. These systems are prone to the problem of marker occlusions [13]. Alternative approaches have recently been developed to measure FPA, such as methods using inertial measurement units [11,14,15,16], plantar pressure measurement systems [17] or video cameras [18]
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