The Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in LDH Patient

Preoperative and Postoperative Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Gait Asymmetry in Patients With Lumbar Disc Herniation: a Prospective, Cross-sectional Study

The aim of this study was to assessment on the interaction of spatial and temporal gait parameters and gait asymmetry in patients with Lumbar Disc Herniation (LDH) before and 15 days after surgery.

The participants were divided into LDH and healthy control groups. The analysis of the spatiotemporal gait parameters was performed using the "Win-Track" gait analysis platform system for two groups. In addition, the analysis of spatiotemporal gait parameters of 60 participants who had the planned lumbar discectomy surgery, was tested before and 15 days after surgery. The pain intensity of the patients was recorded by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) immediately before performing the analysis. After then participants completed ten passes on the "Win-Track" Gait Analysis Platform at their self-selected walking speed. The arithmetic mean of the three flawless walking data was used for analysis. The gait symmetry index was used to calculate the walking asymmetry.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals who were diagnosed with LDH by a specialist;
• Patients had a medical history and proven by MRI with more or less evidence of degenerative lumbar disc;
• Aged between 25-80 years old;
• Pain symptom on the lumbal area or lower extremity.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have previously received surgery or physical therapy treatment;
• Having congenital deformity in the spine or lower extremity;
• History of spinal surgery or other diseases affecting gait;
• Pregnancy;
• Situations that may cause gait balance problems;
• Using assistive gait appliance.