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Abstract Gait symmetry is one of the most informative aspects describing the quality of gait. Many indices have been proposed to quantify gait symmetry. Among them, indices focusing on the comparison of the two body sides (e.g., Symmetry Angle, SA) and indices based on the analysis of the locomotor act as a whole, dealing with the body center of mass (e.g., Symmetry Index, SIBCoM) or lower trunk accelerometry (e.g., improved Harmonic Ratio, iHR) have been proposed. Remarkably, the relationship between these indices has received little attention so far, as well as the influence of gait speed on their values. The aim of this study is to investigate this relationship by comparing the SA, SIBCoM, and iHR, and to explore the effect of walking speed on these indices. Ten healthy adults walked for 60 s on a treadmill at seven different speeds (from 0.28 to 1.95 m s−1) and simulate an asymmetric gait (ASYM) at 0.83 m s−1. Marker-based trajectories were recorded, and the body center of mass 3D trajectory was obtained. Simultaneously, lower trunk 3D linear accelerations were collected using a triaxial accelerometer. SIBCoM, iHR, and SA were calculated for each stride, each anatomical direction, and each condition. Perfect symmetry was never displayed in any axes and any indices. Significant differences existed between SIBCoM, and iHR in all anatomical directions (p |
