Glenohumeral Kinetics in Gait with Crutches during Reciprocal and Swing-Through Gait: A Case Study

Many patients with incomplete spinal cord (SCI) injury and partial preservation of lower extremity function makes ambulation a mobility goal. Some of these patients have to use Lofstrand crutches to compensate insufficient strength in the lower limbs to permit ambulation. On the other hand, long-term crutch usage results in upper limb overuse pathologies. Here we present a kinetic model of right upper extremity based on rigid bodies to be applied to data generated by a movement capture system and an instrumented Lofstrand crutch with a six-degree-of-freedom load cell at the tip. This trial configuration may provide data for the upper extremity kinetic analysis. Data of forces and force moments of the right shoulder of a SCI patient walking with reciprocal and swing-through gait are shown. In both cases, the reaction force at the glenohumeral joint, during the support phase, was observed to be vertically upward, posterior and medial, whereas internal moments were mainly flexor, adductor and internal rotator.