Correlations between the Gait Profile Score and standard clinical outcome measures in children with idiopathic clubfoot.

BACKGROUND

Measures of overall gait deviations such as the Gait Profile Score (GPS) and the Gait Variable Score (GVS) are used to evaluate gait in clinical practice and for research purposes. In the clinical setting, gait deviations are often visually assessed and classified using structured protocols such as the Clubfoot Assessment Protocol (CAP).

RESEARCH QUESTION: Determine the relationship between measures of overall gait deviations and clinical assessments.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study evaluated the usability of GPS and GVS in children with idiopathic clubfoot. Twenty consecutively born children with idiopathic clubfoot participated in this study. At 7 years of age, the children were referred for three-dimensional gait analysis and, on the same day, they also underwent a clinical examination according to the CAP.

RESULTS

The overall gait deviations, expressed as the GPS (overall and affected side) and the GVS for nine key variables were calculated. The correlations between the GPS and values from CAP, its domains, and a single item called walking and between the item walking and the GVS values were analyzed using the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (rs). The item walking correlated significantly with the GPS (rs = -0.62), and the GVS for foot progression (rs = -0.61) and foot dorsiflexion/plantarflexion (rs = -0.50). The domain "morphology" correlated with the GPS (rs = 0.64).

SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that the GPS index along with the GVS reflects gait deviations observed clinically in children with clubfoot.