Abstract
Purpose:
Prescribing yoked prism to patients with altered gait is one of the most innovative techniques in helping people to change perception of the world after an acquired brain injury. One of the main issues that is facing the doctors today is the lack of skilled people who can evaluate gait and prescribe prism. In this study we tested the ability of GaitRite, a gait recording mat to systematically record the gait of normal patents while wearing yoked prism and to see if yoked prism of the same degree and in the same direction effects people equally. This could help clinicians to notice certain trends and aid in prescribing.
Methods:
Fifteen adults with normal vision under the age of thirty (Group A (mean age = 26.25 +/-1.5 yrs)), 15 adults with normal vision, ages 30-50 (Group B, mean age 37.42 +/-4.2) and 10 adults with normal vision 50 and above (Group C, mean age 54.21 +/- 3.2) had to walk on a GaitRite mat while wearing 4, 8, and 12 yoked prism diopter glasses. Each measurement was repeated three times. Direction of the yoked prism was randomly assigned at 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, 330 and 360 degrees. All patients performed a total of 111 walks.
Results:
20 different measurements (that are automatically recorded on the GaitRite Mat) were analyzed e.g. heel to Stride length, Step length, heel to toe, Stride Velocity etc. Intra-Class Correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis was run on all Group A1-15, and correlations ranged from .02 to .541 with a significance of ten to the negative fourteenth. Group B correlations ranged from .04 to .621 with a significance of ten to the fifteenth. Group C ranged from .12 to .452 with a significance of ten to the twelfth. Group A measurements were significantly different from Group B and Group C, and Group B measurements were different from group C measurements.
Conclusions:
There was no trend in recording the effect of prism on gait among different individuals and age groups. Thus, the idea of creating software that would be able to recommend the amount of prism and direction based on how people walk on a GaitRite Mat still needs work. Bothtrial and error and in person observation still remains the standard of care.