Gait differences between patients with adult degenerative scoliosis and healthy counterparts

![CDATA[Rational & Objective: Previous studies on adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS) mainly examined the improvements in the gait parameters in patients underwent a surgical intervention. However, there lacks information about the difference between patients with ADS and the healthy adults in the walking performance. Hence, this study compared the temporal-spatial parameters of patients with ADS and previously published data from healthy counterparts. Methods: Eight patients with ADS were recruited from a local hospital and the diagnosis was confirmed by a single orthopedic surgeon. Reflective markers were firmly affixed onto specific body landmarks and the marker trajectories were captured with a motion capture system. All participants were asked to walk overground for 10 bouts at a self-selected walking speed. Walking speed, stride length, and contact time were computed. Asymmetry index was also calculated to indicate the between-limb difference. The data were compared with a published dataset including 25 healthy age-matched participants using independent t tests. Results: Patients with ADS showed slower walking speed (p<0.05), Cohen’s d = 1.92) and shorter stride length (p<0.05), Cohen’s d = 2.05) than the healthy controls. There was a trend of longer contact time in the patients with ADS (p=0.06, Cohen’s d = 0.67). Additionally, patient group exhibited a greater asymmetry index (>2.47%) than the healthy group (1.1-2%). Conclusions: We have identified potential temporal spatial markers in patients with ADS. These markers can be used in gait retraining programs to improve walking performance in this patient cohort.]]