Mahoney J, Euhardy R, Carnes M
Geriatrics Section, William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, Madison, Wisconsin 53705.
J Am Geriatr Soc. 1992 Mar;40(3):208-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1992.tb02069.x.
There are few data on the effect of walkers on gait and mobility or on comparisons of different walker types. We compared a commonly used 4-legged, 2-wheeled walker and a newer 3-legged, 3-wheeled walker in measures of gait, mobility, and patient satisfaction.
Cross-over controlled trial.
In the Physical Therapy Department of a Veterans Affairs hospital.
Subjects were 15 male and female frail elderly veterans (mean age, 82 years), both inpatients and outpatients, consecutively enrolled from a sample of 35 patients referred to the Physical Therapy Department for mobility problems. Subjects met the following criteria: age 65 or over, ambulatory, no prior use of a wheeled walker, stable medical condition, and informed consent.
Subjects were evaluated without either walker and with each of the two walkers on a 15-foot walkway and a 60-foot obstacle course. Subjects were asked which walker they preferred.
Outcome measures were stride length on the walkway, time on an obstacle course, and walker preference.
Stride length was 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) greater with the 3-wheeled walker than with the 2-wheeled walker (P = 0.016 by Wilcoxon signed-rank test). Time on the obstacle course was 16.0 seconds less with the 3-wheeled walker than the 2-wheeled walker (P = 0.002). The 3-wheeled walker was subjectively preferred.
The 3-wheeled walker appears to have a greater positive impact on gait and mobility than the 2-wheeled walker.
关于助行器对步态和移动能力的影响，或不同类型助行器之间比较的数据较少。我们比较了常用的四脚两轮助行器和新型的三脚三轮助行器在步态、移动能力及患者满意度方面的差异。
交叉对照试验。
一家退伍军人事务医院的物理治疗科。
受试者为15名体弱的老年退伍军人（男女皆有）（平均年龄82岁），包括住院患者和门诊患者，他们是从35名因移动问题转诊至物理治疗科的患者样本中连续招募的。受试者符合以下标准：年龄65岁及以上，可独立行走，此前未使用过轮式助行器，病情稳定，并签署知情同意书。
让受试者在15英尺长的通道以及60英尺长的障碍赛道上，分别在不使用任何助行器以及使用两种助行器中的每一种的情况下进行评估。询问受试者更喜欢哪种助行器。
观察指标包括通道上的步幅、障碍赛道上的用时以及对助行器的偏好。
使用三轮助行器时的步幅比使用两轮助行器时大1.4英寸（3.6厘米）（威尔科克森符号秩检验，P = 0.016）。在障碍赛道上，使用三轮助行器的用时比使用两轮助行器少16.0秒（P = 0.002）。受试者主观上更喜欢三轮助行器。
三轮助行器似乎比两轮助行器对步态和移动能力有更大的积极影响。
