Relationship between gait profile score and clinical assessments of gait in post-stroke patients

Background: Gait Profile Score (GPS) was validated as quality measure for the Gait Analysis (GA) in sev & shy; eral patholgies, but GPS was never compared with clinical scales in post & shy;stroke patients. Objective: The aim of the study was to quantify func & shy; tional limitation of post & shy;stroke hemiparetic patients using clinical & shy;functional scales and GPS and to as & shy; sess the presence of correlation between GPS and the clinical & shy;based outcome scales. Methods: Thirty & shy;three patients were assessed with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and Ten Meter Walk Test (10 & shy;MWT); GPS was obtained by GA. Results: GPS showed a fair relationship with FAC (p = 0.017; r = -0.412), TIS (p = 0.011, r = -0.436) and 10 & shy;MWT (p = 0.009, r = 0.49) and good correla & shy; tion with BBS (p = 0.001; r = -0.561). The three reg & shy; ression models were statistically significant: Model 1 showed that FAC, GPS and FIM had a statistically significant effect in the determination of the BBS, in model 2 and 3, FIM presented a statistically signifi & shy; cant effect on TIS determination. Conclusion: GPS seems to be an independent linear predictor of balance performance in stroke patient, and GVSs on sagittal plane might help clinicians to investigate the acquired compensatory strategies.