Analysis of Patterns of Gait Deterioration in Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Jordan Perring; Ralph Mobbs; Callum Betteridge

doi:10.1016/j.wneu.2020.04.146

Analysis of Patterns of Gait Deterioration in Patients with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

World Neurosurg. 2020 Sep:141:e55-e59. doi: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.04.146. Epub 2020 May 7.

Authors

Jordan Perring¹, Ralph Mobbs², Callum Betteridge³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Spinal Surgery, NeuroSpine Surgery Research Group, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
² Department of Spinal Surgery, NeuroSpine Surgery Research Group, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; Department of Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia; Prince of Wales Private Hospital, NeuroSpineClinic, Sydney, Australia.
³ Department of Spinal Surgery, NeuroSpine Surgery Research Group, Sydney, Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: chubbetteridge@gmail.com.

PMID: 32387784
DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.04.146

Abstract

Objective: Quantitative gait analysis has been established as a valuable tool for functional assessment and evaluation of intervention efficacy in lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). We aimed to bolster the limited evidence on the specific aspects of gait that are altered in LSS.

Methods: Fifteen patients with LSS and 15 healthy subjects performed a 30-m-long walk. Gait was assessed by video recording. Four spatiotemporal parameters were compared between groups: cadence, gait velocity, step length, and step duration.

Results: Compared with healthy subjects, gait of patients with LSS demonstrated significant differences for all spatiotemporal parameters. Differences in mean cadence, step length, gait velocity, and step duration were -14%, -24%, -37%, and +16% between patients with LSS and healthy subjects.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated significant alterations in clinically measurable gait parameters in patients with LSS compared with healthy subjects. Future studies should assess the value of these gait parameters for objective clinical assessment of functional status and intervention efficacy through correlation with currently used subjective tools and comparison at preoperative and postoperative time points. Specific gait alterations identified in patients with LSS may be valuable for clinical objective assessment of functional status and intervention efficacy.

Keywords: Gait; Lumbar spine stenosis; Neurogenic claudication.

MeSH terms

Aged
Female
Gait Analysis / methods*
Gait Disorders, Neurologic / etiology*
Humans
Intermittent Claudication / etiology
Lumbar Vertebrae
Male
Spinal Stenosis / complications*
Spinal Stenosis / diagnosis*