Gait impairments in a group of patients with incomplete spinal cord injury and their relevance regarding therapeutic approaches using functional electrical stimulation

The purpose of this study is to determine the most important impairments affecting the gait pattern of the incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) patient and the potential impact of their treatment. The study consists of two parts. Firstly, a survey amongst 16 professionals was done to find out the impact of the impairments in incomplete-SCI patients. Secondly, gait data from 21 individuals were analyzed to determine the most common impairments. Frequently observed and relevant impairments were: inadequate hip extension (occurrence 76%), limited hip flexion (52%), limited knee flexion (71%), excess of plantar flexion (76%), and impaired foot contact (52%). In conclusion, for gait improvement in incomplete spinal cord injured patients not only ankle movements must be treated, which is done frequently, but also hip extension/flexion and knee flexion are important for gait restoration. The impact on the gait and potential solutions of these impairments are discussed.