An offset-corrected movement analysis profile to study the offset component of deviation in gait features

Gait Analysis (GA) allows the quantitative assessment of walking. Over the years, several descriptors have been developed with the aim to derive an overall GA assessment based on a synthetic score. Examples are the Gait Deviation Index (GDI) [1], and the Movement Analysis Profile (MAP) [2]. These indices are useful to assess the overall quality of gait patterns, but inherently do not provide information about the nature of the deviation (offset, scaling, time shift) or about the direction of the deviation (too much flexion or extension). It was observed that certain gait abnormalities corresponded to specific deviations in kinematic angles [3]. E.g. crouch gait is characterized by a persistent knee flexion that can be observed as a shift in the baseline of the knee flexion/extension angle.