title: Speed and temporal-distance adaptations during treadmill and overground walking following stroke.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the maximum gait speed of stroke subjects attained during treadmill and overground in stroke subjects and to identify the temporal-distance determinants of the maximal gait speed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten individuals with hemiparetic gait deficits and whose walking speeds ranged between 0.24 m/s and 0.82 m/s participated. Five healthy age-matched controls were also tested to provide comparative data for the gait speed transfer between the 2 modes of locomotion. Following a brief habituation process to walking on the treadmill, subjects were tested while walking at comfortable and maximal speeds on the treadmill and overground, in a random order. Main Outcome Measure. Self-selected comfortable and maximum gait speed and temporal-distance factors were acquired using a 6-camera Vicontrade mark motion analysis system and compared between treadmill and overground walking at a similar speed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overground walking resulted in higher maximal speeds (P < 0.001), greater stride lengths (P < 0.001), and a lower cadence (P < 0.02), as compared to tread-mill. The comfortable gait speed and the maximum stride length proved to be strong determinants for the maximal speed on both modes of locomotion (P < 0.01), but the maximum cadence was correlated to maximum speed only for overground locomotion (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stroke subjects walked slower on the treadmill as compared to overground. They also used a different strategy to increase gait speed, relying mostly on increasing the stride length during treadmill ambulation.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Roain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bayat
authors.forename: Hugues
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barbeau
authors.forename: Anouk
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamontagne
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002183:Canes; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010291:Paresis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D014853:Walkers; D016138:Walking