Gait stability and the relationship with energy cost of walking in polio survivors with unilateral plantarflexor weakness.

Background: Polio survivors often exhibit plantarflexor weakness, which impairs gait stability, and increases energy cost of walking. Quantifying gait stability could provide insights in the control mechanisms polio survivors use to maintain gait stability and in whether impaired gait stability is related to the increased energy cost of walking.

Research Question: Is gait stability impaired in polio survivors with plantarflexor weakness compared to able-bodied individuals, and does gait stability relate to energy cost of walking?

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed barefoot biomechanical gait data of 31 polio survivors with unilateral plantarflexor weakness and of 24 able-bodied individuals.