Body up–down acceleration in kinematic gait analysis in comparison with the vertical ground reaction force

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Hattori, Tomokazu

Affiliations: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Aichi Medical University, Nagakute Aichi 480‐1195, Japan

Abstract: In order to investigate clinical significance of the body up–down acceleration, and to practically verify the relationship with the vertical component of the ground reaction force, 3D kinematic gait analysis was performed on normal subjects and hip patients. The displacement of the body up–down movement was measured at the lower end of the sternum, then the acceleration was calculated from the displacement by using the double differential operation, and differential noise was removed by Finite Impulse Response (FIR) digital filter with the cutoff frequency of 3 Hz. The acceleration showed a regular cyclic pattern in normal subjects. However, in hip patients, there was a significant decrease of downward acceleration at the mid‐stance of the affected side. And the acceleration was roughly consistent with the vertical component showing the same trends of up and down. However, in detail, they are inconsistent in the affected side, which is provably due to abnormal movements of the body and upper limbs, the so‐called compensational movements.

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 8, no. 3-4, pp. 145-154, 1998