The Effects of Challenging Walking Conditions on Kinematic Synergy and Stability of Gait in People with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Study Protocol

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) may considerably change the gait parameters, including the gait variability patterns. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis has been used to evaluate the relationship between motor control and gait variability as a useful index for assessing the multi‐segmental movements’ coordination during walking. To our knowledge, no research has evaluated the alterations in the gait kinematic parameters during normal and narrow path walking in individuals with KOA as compared to asymptomatic people. Materials and Methods: In this cross‐sectional study, individuals diagnosed with mild to moderate medial KOA and asymptomatic people will walk at their comfortable preferred speed on a treadmill. A motion capture system will be used to record at least 50 successful gait cycles. The kinematic variability of joints during gait will be analyzed using UCM, with the center of mass (COM) displacement considered as the performance variable. The primary outcome measure will be the lower limb synergy index. Variability of the COM displacement and changes in angles and angular velocities of lower extremity joints will be assessed as the secondary outcomes. Results: The results of this protocol study provide information on the lower limb kinematic synergy during gait on normal and narrow paths for individuals with KOA and asymptomatic controls. Conclusion: This information will help the researchers and clinicians understand KOA patients’ gait variability characteristics more deeply. Moreover, it may lead to an enhanced evidence‐based approach for clinical decision‐making concerning improving gait stability and decreasing the falling risk in these people.