[A baropodometric parameter to analyze the gait of hemiparetic patients: the path of center of pressure].

Purpose: Hemiparetic gait has been previously evaluated by several biomechanical methods, but plantar pressure distribution has been much less studied. Our purpose was to analyze the changes in the path of the center of pressure (COP) following the occurrence of hemiparesis using an F-Scan in-shoe transducer.

Materials And Methods: Twenty patients, mean age 50 years [26-67] with hemiparesis due to vascular causes underwent gait analysis (by the F-Scan system). All patients had steady neurological status and were self-sufficient for gait. Podo-orthoses were removed during the test. Five to six cycles of gait, about 8 m, were recorded. Comparison of the COP path was performed between hemiparetic and healthy foot. The group control consisted of 9 healthy volunteer subjects.

Results: Differences in the COP path were found in the hemiparetic foot of patients: a significant decrease for the anteroposterior displacement (P=0.002) and the lateral displacement (P=0.04) and a significant anterior displacement of the more posterior contact COP (P=0.005). The "gait line" was irregular, with slowing down going forward and, for some, going back. These results are likely consistent with the equine of the foot. No change was observed in the control group.

Conclusion: The use of an F-Scan in the shoe transducer allows for revealing the importance of the COP path in analyzing hemiparetic gait; this noninvasive investigation would be helpful for evaluating the best therapy to propose to and to follow-up patients with hemiparesis.