title: Accelerometric assessment of different dimensions of natural walking during the first year after stroke: Recovery of amount, distribution, quality and speed of walking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the course of walking behaviour over a period of 1 year after stroke, using accelerometry, and to compare 1-year data with those from a healthy group.
  
  
  METHODS
  One-year follow-up cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three stroke patients and 20 age-matched healthy subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Accelerometer assessments were made in the participants' daily environment for 8 h/day during the 1st (T1), 12th (T2) and 48th (T3) weeks after stroke, and at one time-point in healthy subjects. Primary outcomes were: percentage of time walking and upright (amount); mean duration and number of walking periods (distribution); step regularity and gait symmetry (quality); and walking speed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time walking, time upright, and number of walking bouts increased during T1 and T2 (p < 0.01) and then levelled off (p > 0.30). Mean duration of walking periods showed no significant improvements (p > 0.30) during all phases. Step regularity, gait symmetry and gait speed showed a tendency to increase consistently from T1 to T3. At T3, amount and distribution variables reached the level of the healthy group, but significant differences remained (p < 0.02) in step regularity and gait speed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cohort, different outcomes of walking behaviour showed different patterns and levels of recovery, which supports the multi-dimensional character of gait.
authors.affiliation: Physical Therapy, Seville University, 41009 Seville, Spain. marinacastelsanchez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marina Castel
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bussmann
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Herwin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horemans
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chastin
authors.forename: Majanka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heijenbrok
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stam
mesh_terms: D061725:Accelerometry / Q000379:methods*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D016138:Walking