Validity and test-retest reliability of the Stride Analyzer in people with knee osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Subjects with knee osteoarthritis walk differently compared to healthy subjects. Managing these gait alterations has been proven effective for reducing pain and increasing function. The Stride Analyzer is a low cost gait analysis tool but its clinimetric properties have not been investigated yet in subjects with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of the SA compared with the Gold standard (Vicon) in persons with knee OA.

METHODS: Fifteen subjects with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were instructed to walk at a self-selected speed in a gait laboratory. Temporospatial (TS) gait parameters were recorded simultaneously by the Stride Analyzer and by a 16-camera-infrared optoelectronic motion capturing system (Vicon). Validity and test-retest reliability of the Stride Analyzer were examined by Bland-Altman plots, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM).

RESULTS: Test-retest analyses showed good agreement for all TS parameters with ICC values ranging from 0.805 (single limb support right) to 0.949 (velocity) and SEM% values ranging from 0.78% (stance phase right (% of gait cycle)) to 4.52% (double limb support right (% of gait cycle)). Good agreement between Stride Analyzer and Vicon was found for the following TS parameters: velocity (z=1.01), cadence (z=-0.85), stride length (z=1.63) and gait cycle (z=0.86). All other gait parameters showed lower ICC values (<0.689).

INTERPRETATION: Our results suggest that the Stride Analyzer can be used in the clinical field to perform gait analysis in subjects with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.