The use of double support time for monitoring the gait of muscular dystrophy patients.

Children with muscular dystrophy eventually lose the ability to walk and with it, their independence. Timely operative or orthotic intervention may delay this critical point. Quantifiable parameters, which aid in making this prediction should, therefore, be actively sought. In this study, using a simple gait analysis system, the gait. parameters of 10 boys with muscular dystrophy (MD) were compared with those of 22 normal boys in the same age range, and with their own parameters at subsequent follow-up. The results suggest that observation of the gait of MD boys and measurement of their double support time may be useful in monitoring the progress of their disease.