Distinctive parameters of gait in patients with multiple sclerosis, depending on the profile of its dysfunction

Abstract

Objective: to identify characteristic gait parameters by video analysis in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) that allow the most reliable discrimination of the dominant profile in functional systems.Material and methods. We examined 45 patients (37 women, 8 men) with relapsing-remitting (n=38) and secondary progressive MS before and after a course of medical rehabilitation. Gait parameters were recorded with the Physiomed Smart video analysis system Physiomed Smart («Physiomed», Germany, Davis protocol).Results. Only one indicator allowed reliable differentiation between ataxic and spastic-paretic gait patterns in MS in the EDSS range up to 5.5 points – the step width, the value of which is greater in patients with ataxia dominance. A significant difference in gait pattern asymmetry was also found in the mild disability group, namely, a greater value in the spastic-paretic pattern.Conclusion. Comprehensive profiling of gait impairment, primarily through objective analysis of locomotor patterns, may be helpful in monitoring therapy and may reveal sensitive end points for further study in MS.