Fourier Analysis of Center of Mass Trajectory in Hemiparetic Gait

Fourier analysis has been deeply explored and adopted in the investigation of human biomechanics and motion. Among objective biomechanical parameters, the human center of mass can be considered as an index of stability and symmetry. The current research focuses on the study of pelvis center of mass trajectory in hemiparetic gait by means of Fourier analysis. A symmetry index is applied on gait trials performed by control (5 males) and hemiparetic (12 males, 5 females) subjects. Among results, vertical symmetry indexes (0.94 healthy, 0.36 pathological) underline a significant difference between groups (p-value = 0.002). The promising methodology highlights the importance of biomechanically investigating the human locomotion in pathological patients.