Gait asymmetries in residual hemiplegia.

Temporal gait asymmetries in 25 patients with residual stroke were measured from a walkway which allowed data collection on-line with a microcomputer. An asymmetry ratio has been introduced to reflect the degree of asymmetry in each of the support phases of the gait cycle. Subjects in this study demonstrated residual deficits in walking, and although there was a general pattern of asymmetry, walking patterns varied even though the group had been selected according to criteria which tended to make for relative functional homogeneity. Both the extent and patterns of temporal gait asymmetries with respect to phases of the gait cycle were found to vary. The basic rehabilitative implication of these findings is that it is not possible to design a single gait reeducation program for all residual stroke patients; the exercises prescribed must address the unique deficiencies of each patient.