RELIABILITY OF A TESTING PROTOCOL TO EXAMINE THE EFFECT OF SPRING LOADED CANE MECHANISMS ON UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY GROUND REACTION FORCES, MUSCLE ACTIVITY, AND EASE OF USE DURING GAIT

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the reliability of a testing protocol to examine differences between spring-loaded and traditional canes for future research. Healthy participants (n=20) were fitted with a T-Scope knee brace and three types of canes. Each participant walked over two force plates, where EMG, force and impulse data were collected. Participants also completed an Ease of Use questionnaire. Five trials were performed using each type of cane. Intra-class correlation (ICC) values were calculated for all dependent variables. All ICC values were greater than 0.7, indicating a high level of reliability. The Ease of Use questionnaire had a high level of internal consistency, as determined by a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.834. Future research will examine causal links between springloaded and traditional canes and improvements in the measured variables.