OPTIMISING GAIT STABILITY ANALYSIS IN PATIENTS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS

Gait stability is vital in musculoskeletal health, directly influencing quality of life. Nonlinear metrics such as entropy and fractal dimension enhance understanding of gait stability beyond traditional measures, thus improving diagnostic and physical therapy assessments. Entropy metrics measure the regularity of time-series data as a number between 0 and 2, with lower values signifying a more regular series. Fractal dimension quantifies the complexity and self-similarity of time-series data. This study aimed to determine which input variable values influence approximate entropy (ApEn), sample entropy (SampEn), and Higuchi’s fractal dimension (HFD) parameters’ effectiveness for evaluating the stability of various individuals.