Abstract
Purpose. Impaired economy of gait, prevalent in chronic stroke secondary to residual gait deficits, is associated with intolerance for performing activities of daily living. Gait economy/efficiency is traditionally assessed by determining the rate of oxygen consumption during submaximal treadmill walking. However, the mechanics and energetics of treadmill versus overground walking are very different in stroke survivors with ambulatory deficits. Clearly, overground cardiopulmonary measures are needed to accurately profile movement economy after stroke. An obstacle to obtaining such measures after stroke has been the absence of reliable portable metabolic monitoring equipment. The purpose of this study was to establish the test–retest reliability of a portable metabolic monitoring device during overground walking in hemiparetic stroke survivors. Methods. Twenty-three chronic hemiparetic stroke survivors underwent two 6-minute walk tests while wearing a COSMED K4b2 portable metabolic measurement system. Intraclass correlations coefficients (ICC) were calculated for both cardiopulmonary parameters and distance covered to determine test–retest reliability. An ICC of ≥0.85 was considered reliable. Results. ICCs for relative Vo2 (0.90), absolute Vo2 (0.93), Vco2 (0.93), and minute ventilation (0.95) demonstrated high reliability, but not for heart rate (0.76) or respiratory exchange ratio (0.64). There was no significant difference in the distance each participant walked between the first and second tests, eliminating distance as a potential confounder of our analyses (ICC = 0.99). Conclusions. Our results strongly support the reliability of the K4b2 for quantifying overground gait efficiency after stroke. Use of this device may enable researchers to study how varying poststroke rehabilitation interventions affect this central measure of health and function.
Accepted Version (
Free)
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
