Movement Variability as a Clinical Measure for Locomotion

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of variability in human movement, with emphasis on locomotion variability. Based on the assessment of stride characteristics, movement variability has been associated with reduced gait stability and unsteadiness. However, based on the measure of joint coordination during locomotion, variability has been suggested to provide a source of adaptation. Therefore, it would appear that the assessment of movement coordination from either the task outcome (i.e., stride characteristics) or the joint coordination patterns provide distinctly opposing views of variability. This paper will discuss the use of the variability measures, specifically joint coordination variability, from a clinical perspective. Investigations will be presented in which a reduction in joint coordination variability has been associated with pathology. Finally, the clinical implications of these measures as well as treatment suggestions are discussed.

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