Continuous curve registration as an intertrial gait variability reduction technique.

Timing in peak values shifts slightly between gait trials. When gait data are averaged, part of the standard deviation could be associated with this intertrial variability unless normalization is carried out beforehand. The objective of this study was to determine how continuous curve registration, an alignment technique, can reduce intersubject variability in gait data without altering the original curve characteristics. Gait data were obtained by means of a four-camera high-speed video system synchronized to a force plate. The data for 60 gait trials were collected from 20 young, healthy subjects. Curve registration was applied to hip angular displacement, net moment, and power curves generated in the sagittal plane. Following registration, the peak values increased by an average of 1.2% (0.11 +/- 0.26 degrees) for angular displacement, and by 11.2% (0.11 +/- 0.09 W/kg) for power, while there were no changes for moments. First and second derivatives of the unregistered and registered curves did not display significant differences, and the harmonics were barely affected. Continuous curve registration would thus be an appropriate technique for application prior to any statistical analysis using able-bodied gait patterns.