Assessment of Spatio-Temporal Parameters of Walking In-Place in Older adults Post-Femoral Neck Fractures

1. To examine the correlation between spatio-temporal gait parameters of WIP and OW at the early stages of rehabilitation.
2. To examine the correlation between WIP parameters and functional measures at the early and late phases of rehabilitation.

A cohort of 16 elderly patients aged >65 (mean age 75.4±7.1 years) was recruited from an inpatient geriatric rehabilitation ward after a hip fracture. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was assessed both at the beginning (within the first week) and at the end (after three weeks) of rehabilitation. Spatio-temporal gait analysis for both WIP and OW was conducted using the X-sens motion sensor system at the beginning of rehabilitation. Additionally, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was administered at the end of rehabilitation.

Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlations. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.

At the beginning of rehabilitation, a significant strong positive correlation was found between the following spatio-temporal gait parameters during WIP and their corresponding values during OW: cadence (r = 0.63), average step height of the involved leg (r = 0.61), and step time of the involved leg (r = 0.68).

Cadence and swing percentage of both the involved and uninvolved legs during  WIP demonstrated significant negative correlations with the TUG test administered after rehabilitation (r = -0.50, r = -0.67, and r = -0.67, respectively). 

No significant relationship was observed between the FIM scores before and after rehabilitation and the spatio-temporal parameters of WIP.

The significant strong correlations between WIP spatio-temporal measures, OW measures and TUG after rehabilitation highlight WIP as a reliable indicator of walking ability and rehabilitation progress. The absence of a similar correlation with FIM suggests that WIP provides more specific insights regarding mobility than regarding performance of daily activities.  

The study supports the use of WIP as a practical tool for assessing mobility in confined spaces for older adults during the rehabilitation of hip fractures. Its strong correlation with OW and TUG outcomes suggests that WIP can be effectively integrated into clinical practice to predict rehabilitation progress and promote patient care.