Home     Projects     People     Publications     Places
Arthritis     Bone & Joint     Osteoporosis     Spinal Cord Injury     Stroke     Other


project photo goes here

Influence of Post-Stroke Gait on Bone Density

Principal Investigators: Gary S. Beaupré, PhD and Steven A. Kautz, PhD

Project Staff: Robert T. Whalen, PhD; B. Jenny Kiratli, PhD; Lise Worthen, MS; C. Maria Kim, MSc, PT; Jill S. Higginson, PhD; Lampros Kourtis, MS; and Henry L. Lew, MD, RT

Project Categories: Osteoporosis and Stroke - 2004

The underlying hypothesis for this study is that the changes in habitual skeletal loading following stroke are in large part responsible for the observed changes in bone density. This hypothesis provides the motivation for a number of key questions, the answers to which are important for improving our understanding of stroke-related osteoporosis and for providing a theoretical basis for potential rehabilitation interventions and goals. In the proposed study we will use experimental and computational approaches to answer the following key questions:

  • What are the experimentally determined relationships between measured gait parameters (such as self-selected walking speed and peak ground reaction force magnitude during the stance phase of gait) and bone mineral density at the calcaneus and hip on the affected and non-affected sides?

  • What are the experimentally determined relationships between the ground reaction force time histories recorded over three consecutive days and bone mineral density at the calcaneus and hip on the affected and non-affected sides?

  • Do the side-to-side asymmetries in bone density correlate with the measured asymmetries in the ground reaction forces between the affected and non-affected sides?

  • What are the relationships between the hip joint reaction forces calculated from gait analysis data and measured bone mineral density for both the affected and non-affected sides?

  • How well can computer models predict changes in bone density in stroke patients as a function of time post-stroke based on estimates of skeletal loading obtained from gait analysis?

Milestones:

  • Gait testing and bone density measurements have been completed for 48 subjects

  • A manuscript reporting results for 33 subjects has been submitted to the VA Journal of RR&D

Funding Source: VA RR&D Merit Review

Funding Status: Active



Previous     Osteoporosis Projects     Next