Effect of investigator observation on gait parameters in individuals with stroke.

ABSTRACT: Improvements in gait speed following various training paradigms applied to patients post-stroke does not always lead to changes in walking performance, defined as gains in daily stepping activity. We hypothesized that testing conditions, specifically the presence of an observer, influences patient behaviors and resultant outcomes may overestimate their true walking capacity. This potential Hawthorne effect on spatiotemporal and biomechanical measures of locomotor function in individuals post-stroke has not been assessed previously. Fifteen ambulatory individuals with chronic stroke wore instrumented insoles and performed two separate normal-pace walking assessments, including unobserved conditions during which participants were unattended and unaware of data collection, and observed condit

SUBMITTER: Ardestani MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8597205 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature