Reliability of the portable gait rhythmogram in post-stroke patients.

BACKGROUND:Gait analysis, such as portable gait rhythmogram (PGR), provides objective information that helps in the quantitative evaluation of human locomotion. OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability of PGR in post-stroke patients. METHODS:Two raters (A and B) examined 48 post-stroke patients. To assess intra-rater reliability, rater A tested subjects on three separate occasions (Days 1, 2, and 3). To assess inter-rater reliability, raters A and B independently tested participants on the same occasion (Day 3). RESULTS:There was no significant systematic bias between test occasions or raters. Intraclass correlation coefficient values were 0.93-0.97 for intra-rater reliability at both the comfortable speed and maximum speed, and 0.97-0.98 (comfortable speed) and 0.97-0.99 (maximum speed) for inter-rater reliability. The standard error was 1.25-1.49 (comfortable speed) and 1.62-1.77 (maximum speed) for intra-rater investigation, and 1.04-1.32 (comfortable speed) and 0.91-1.26 (maximum speed) for inter-rater investigation. At the 90% confidence level, the minimum detectable change ranged from 2.9-4.1%, and the error of an individual's score at a given time point ranged from ±2.1-2.9%. CONCLUSIONS:Based on this excellent reliability of the PGR in post-stroke patients, it can be recommended as a simple test of gait analysis in this population.