Gait analysis of normal and differently abled subjects for rehabilitation

Abstract

This study investigates the human foot function for gait analysis and rehabilitation studies. It involves demonstration of dynamics during different gait activities. The biomechanical response of the investigation implies that the centre of pressure moves accordingly with the motion of foot such as heel strike and take-off. The respective ground reaction forces are measured using a force platform. The data from the force platform are collected using a data acquisition system and processed using BiowareTM software. Curves of acceleration-time, displacement–time, power and impulse are calculated from the ground reaction force record obtained from the force plate. The centre of pressure, friction, torque and moment during walking was also calculated. In this study 57 participants have participated including male, female and differently abled subjects. The participants are instructed to walk at different rates, perform vertical jumps over the force platform and walk with barefoot and in shod. The study also computes the different phases of gait cycle and forefoot function index to observe the impulse acting in the forefoot. The performance of the participants in vertical jumps are characterized by the flight height which is actually the difference between the height of the centre of mass at the peak of the jump and the height of the centre of mass at the time of take-off. From the investigation it is observed that the level of activation and force of the participant’s leg muscle bearing the body weight determines the dynamic characteristic of human locomotion. The evolution of the walk and vertical jump was traced carefully and discussed for male, female and disabled persons, identifying the gait phases for each case