Use of the gait profile score for the evaluation of patients with joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type.

Gait analysis (GA) is widely used for clinical evaluations in various pathological states, both in children and in adults, such as in patients with joint hypermobility syndrome/Ehlers-Danlos syndrome hypermobility type (JHS/EDS-HT). Otherwise, GA produces a large volume of data and there is the clinical need to provide also a quantitative measure of the patient's overall gait. Starting from this aim some global indexes were proposed by literature as a summary measure of the patient's gait, such as the Gait Profile Score (GPS). While validity of the GPS was demonstrated for the evaluation of the functional limitation of children with Cerebral Palsy, no studies have been conducted in patients JHS/EDS-HT. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate the effectiveness of the GPS in the quantification of functional limitation of patients with JHS/EDS-HT. Twenty-one adult (age: 36.1 ± 12.7 years) individuals with JHS/EDS-HT were evaluated using GA and from GA data the GPS was computed. The results evidenced that the GPS value of patients was 8.9 ± 2.6, statistically different from 4.6 ± 0.9 displayed by the control group. In particular, all values of Gait Variable Scores (GVS) which compose the GPS were higher if compared to controls, with the exception of Pelvic Tilt and Foot Progression. The correlations between GPS/GVS and Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) showed significant relationship between GPS and the item 11 ("Walking 2 blocks") (ρ=-0.56; p<0.05) and 12 ("Walking a mile") of LEFS (ρ=-0.76; p<0.05). Our results showed that GPS and GVS seem to be appropriate outcome measures for the evaluation of the functional limitation during gait of patients with JHS/EDS-HT.