The Effect of Impaired Plantar Sensation on Gait in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Autor: Dimitrios Apatsidis, W.D. Spence, S.E. Solomonidis, Kevin John Kelleher
Rok vydání: 2009
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of MS Care. 11:25-31
ISSN: 1537-2073
Popis: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience debilitating motor and sensory dysfunction. The aim of this study was to determine whether impaired plantar sensation affects gait patterns in MS patients, as it does in other patient populations such as those with diabetes mellitus. Sixteen patients with MS were recruited and divided into two groups according to their ambulatory ability. Ten healthy subjects made up a control group. Plantar sensation thresholds were measured and kinematic and kinetic gait data were collected for both MS groups and the control group. The MS patients had less sensation than the control group at all plantar sites tested. Gait speed and hip, knee, and ankle joint sagittal plane excursion were significantly lower in both MS groups than in the control group. Braking and push-off ground reaction forces were significantly lower in both MS groups than in the control group, and patients were found to carry the limb through the swing phase using the hip flexors and knee extensors owing to insufficient push-off from the ankle plantar flexors. The reduced plantar sensation in MS patients is likely to be a significant factor in this “cautious” gait pattern. Improving sensory feedback from the sole of the foot through the prescription of specialized footwear and orthoses may facilitate gait in people with MS.
Databáze: OpenAIRE