Methods of measurement in Soviet gait analysis research, 1963-1974.

A description of several of the methods of measurement used by gait researchers in the Soviet Union from 1963 to 1974 is provided. The discussion encompasses seven major categories of measurement: 1) methods of measuring the rotatory position or angular displacements of the joints of the lower extremities, 2) the phase durations and their temporal relations, 3) support reactions, 4) the rotatory position of the pelvis and vertebral column, 5) step length, stride length, and other linear displacements of components of gait phase activity, 6) muscular activity, and 7) miscellaneous types of analysis. The incorporation of Soviet findings and methods of gait analysis into the design and operation of future investigations of human walking is recommended.