The Compensatory Mechanism Of Walking With Paralysis Of Quadriceps Femoris Muscle

Objective: To analyze the compensatory mechanism of walking when quadriceps femoris muscle is paralyzed.Method : Post-poliomyelitis clients with quadriceps femoris muscle strength measured grade 2 in manual muscle testing(MMT) in one leg were selected for the 'test group' in the knee-joint-control-impediment pathology model in this study. The gait pattern of the paralyzed leg was compared with the contra-lateral good leg, and also with that of the control group (normal subjects). The compensatory mechanism of the 'test group' with paralyzed quadriceps was studied. The total number of subjects studied were 20 having 10 in each group with age and sex matched. The 'test group' walked under various conditions: (a) wearing knee-ankle-foot orthosis(KAFO), (b) wearing ankle-foot orthosis(AFO) and (c) without orthosis. The control group walked without orthosis. The oxygen cost, time-space parameter, and the joint movements of the lower limb were measured.Result: (1)Oxygen cost: Oxygen cost was significantly reduced when walking with AFO, compared to walking with KAFO and without any orthosis (p <0.01) in the trial group. The oxygen cost in the control...