The study aims at discerning specific gait patterns and elucidating locomotor control of spinal cord injured patients in order to find sensitive kinematic and electromyographic outcome measures that are able to reveal information on underlying mechanisms of normal and aberrant gait control and its recovery over time. These measures may also be used to compare the outcome across different neurological disorders.
Inclusion Criteria:
Patients: We will monitor patients who were admitted to the Spinal Cord Injury Center of the University Hospital Balgrist. We will record patients with various aetiologies, grades of impairment and types of spinal cord lesions. Patients need to have minimal voluntary motor capacities: the motor scores of the key muscles according to the ASIA classification (www.asia-spinalinjury.org) should be at least 3 for extensor muscles and 2 for flexor muscles. Written informed consent is required. Control subjects: Healthy subjects, written informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria:
Patients: Comorbidities which influence or inhibit gait or upper-limb motion (e.g. peripheral nerve lesions). Orthostatic problems that greatly impair upright body position. Mental illness, cognitive impairments. Control subjects: neurologic disease, walking disabilities, mental illness, cognitive impairments