title: Gait and function as tools for the assessment of fracture repair - the role of movement analysis for the assessment of fracture healing.
abstract: Assessment of gait and function might be as sensitive tool to monitor the progress of fracture healing. Currently available assessment tools for function use instrumented three dimensional gait analysis or pedobarography. The analysis is focused on gait or movement parameters and seeks to identify abnormalities or asymmetries between legs or arms. The additional inclusion of muscle function by electromyography can further elucidate functional performance and its temporal development. Alternative approaches abstain from directly assessing function in the laboratory but rather determine the amount of activities of daily living or the mere ability to perform defined tasks such as walking, stair climbing or running. Some of these methods have been applied to determine recovery after orthopaedic interventions including fracture repair. The combination of lab-based functional measurements and assessment of physical activities in daily live may offer a valuable level of information about the gait quality and quantity of individual patients which sheds light on functional limitations or rehabilitation of gait and mobility after a disease or injury and the respective conservative, medical or surgical treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Experimental Musculoskeletal Medicine, Movement Analysis Lab, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, D3, 48129 Münster, Germany. Electronic address: diro@uni-muenster.de.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Macri
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Silva
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Lupselo
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Hospital Governador Celso Ramos, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Osvaldo Cristiano
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Preis
mesh_terms: D004576:Electromyography; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Electromyography; Fracture repair; Gait analysis; Pedobarography