title: Influence of the instrumented force shoe on gait pattern in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.
abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is associated with alterations in gait. As an alternative to force plates, instrumented force shoes (IFSs) can be used to measure ground reaction forces. This study evaluated the influence of IFS on gait pattern in patients with knee OA. Twenty patients with knee OA walked in a gait laboratory on IFS and control shoes (CSs). An optoelectronic system and force plate were used to perform 3D gait analyses. A comparison of temporal-spatial gait parameters, kinematics, and kinetics was made between IFS and CS. Patients wearing IFS showed a decrease in walking velocity and cadence (8%), unchanged stride length, an increase in stance time (13%), stride time (11%) and step width (14%). No differences were found in knee adduction moment or knee kinematics. Small differences were found in foot and ankle kinematics (2-5°), knee transverse moments (5%), ankle frontal (3%) and sagittal moments (1%) and ground reaction force (1-6%). The gait of patients with knee OA was only mildly influenced by the IFS, due to increased shoe height and weight and a change in sole stiffness. The changes were small compared to normal variation and clinically relevant differences. Importantly, in OA patients no effect was found on the knee adduction moment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Research Institute MOVE, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.vandennoort@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Josien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van den Noort
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Esch
authors.forename: Martijn P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Steultjens
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schepers
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Veltink
authors.forename: Jaap
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harlaar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009983:Orthopedic Equipment; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D012775:Shoes