@article{ref1,
title="Detection of gait instability using the center of mass and center of pressure inclination angles",
journal="Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation",
year="2006",
author="Lee, Heng-Ju and Chou, Li-Shan",
volume="87",
number="4",
pages="569-575",
abstract="Lee H-J, Chou L-S. Detection of gait instability using the center of mass and center of pressure inclination angles. OBJECTIVE: To define a parameter that quantifies balance control during gait and better identifies elderly people who are at a higher risk of falling. DESIGN: Controlled study. SETTING: University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Twelve elderly patients (mean age, 76.9+/-6y) with complaints of imbalance during walking, or with a history of falls, and 12 matched healthy elderly adults. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Temporal-distance gait parameters (gait velocity, stride length, step width); and sagittal and frontal center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP) inclination angles. RESULTS: Elderly patients demonstrated a significantly greater medial, but a significantly smaller anterior, inclination angle than their matched controls during both unobstructed and obstructed gait. The medial COM-COP inclination angle was not affected by the gait velocity in the healthy elderly. When the 2 groups were compared at a similar gait velocity ( approximately 1m/s), the elderly patients still had a significantly greater medial COM-COP inclination angle than did the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Instantaneous COM-COP inclination angles during walking provide information about the ability to control COM position in relation to the corresponding COP. The medial COM-COP inclination angle may be a sensitive measure of gait stability in the elderly.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0003-9993",
doi="10.1016/j.apmr.2005.11.033",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2005.11.033"
}