Differences in Treadmill-Based Gait Analysis Based on 3 Methods for Comfortable Walking Speed Selection in Healthy Adults

During gait analysis, the walking speed of the individual should reflect the walking speed in everyday life. This study compared spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters between 3 conditions of selecting walking speed for treadmill-based gait analysis in healthy adults. We hypothesized that gait parameters collected during self-selected treadmill walking differ from those collected when walking at matched overground speed and self-paced speed. Forty-two healthy participants (40.0 [12.7] y; 16 males) walked on a treadmill in a virtual environment in 3 conditions: speed matching overground speed from the 10-m walk test, self-paced walking, and speed selected by the participant. Spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters were collected using motion capture analysis. Results showed significant differences in walking speed, step length, stride length, step time, stride time, stance time, cadence, peak extension angle of the hip, and peak plantar flexion angle of the ankle between the self-paced condition and matched overground speed (P < .05). These differences in gait parameters were likely due to variations in speed between the 2 conditions. No significant differences were found between treadmill-selected and matched overground speed or self-paced condition. These findings suggest that letting the participant decide their comfortable walking speed is appropriate for speed selection in gait analysis.