Ofran Yonah, Schwartz Isabella, Shabat Sheer, Seyres Martin, Karniel Naama, Portnoy Sigal
Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel.
Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem 9765418, Israel.
Biology (Basel). 2021 Oct 28;10(11):1110. doi: 10.3390/biology10111110.
Individuals with post-polio syndrome (PPS) suffer from falls and secondary damage.
To (i) analyze the correlation between spatio-temporal gait data and fall measures (fear and frequency of falls) and to (ii) test whether the gait parameters are predictors of fall measures in PPS patients.
Spatio-temporal gait data of 50 individuals with PPS (25 males; age 65.9 ± 8.0) were acquired during gait and while performing the Timed Up-and-Go test. Subjects filled the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC Scale) and reported number of falls during the past year.
ABC scores and number of falls correlated with the Timed Up-and-Go, and gait cadence and velocity. The number of falls also correlated with the swing duration symmetry index and the step length variability. Four gait variability parameters explained 33.2% of the variance of the report of falls ( = 0.006). The gait velocity was the best predictor of the ABC score and explained 24.8% of its variance ( = 0.001).
Gait variability, easily measured by wearables or pressure-sensing mats, is an important predictor of falls in PPS population. Therefore, gait variability might be an efficient tool before devising a patient-specific fall prevention program for the PPS patient.
患有小儿麻痹后遗症（PPS）的个体容易跌倒并遭受继发性损伤。
（i）分析时空步态数据与跌倒指标（对跌倒的恐惧和跌倒频率）之间的相关性，以及（ii）测试步态参数是否为PPS患者跌倒指标的预测因素。
在步态期间以及进行定时起立行走测试时，采集了50名PPS患者（25名男性；年龄65.9±8.0岁）的时空步态数据。受试者填写特定活动平衡信心量表（ABC量表）并报告过去一年中的跌倒次数。
ABC评分和跌倒次数与定时起立行走测试、步态节奏和速度相关。跌倒次数还与摆动持续时间对称指数和步长变异性相关。四个步态变异性参数解释了跌倒报告方差的33.2%（P = 0.006）。步态速度是ABC评分的最佳预测因素，解释了其方差的24.8%（P = 0.001）。
可通过可穿戴设备或压力感应垫轻松测量的步态变异性，是PPS人群跌倒的重要预测因素。因此，在为PPS患者制定个性化的跌倒预防计划之前，步态变异性可能是一种有效的工具。
