ProtoKinetics For Orthopedic Surgeons

Gait analysis helps Orthopedic surgeons assesses a patient’s body movement by measuring data while running, walking, and standing still. ProtoKinetics ZENO Walkway and PKMAS software can detect subtle and gross deviations in gait and is especially helpful in establishing a baseline pre-surgery or pre-rehabilitation to track and verify relevant interventions.

Gait and balance assessment is of great value in determining the source of pain or discomfort resulting from bone deformities, skeletal misalignments, spinal injuries, and the progression of diseases like arthritis and muscular dystrophy. As a noninvasive method of detection, gait analysis software is an excellent resource for precisely measuring walking function associated with various medical conditions and tracking the appropriate intervention. Using observational gait analysis (OGA) alone tends to focus on gross deviations in the patient’s gait and may miss subtle deviations, resulting in potentially incomplete analysis.

Postoperative care is also affected, with changes in gait informing decisions on bracing, physical therapy, or additional surgery.

ProtoKinetics gait analysis software is also useful in analyzing post-orthopaedic surgical success when a baseline has been created pre-surgery. Our PKMAS software and ZENO Walkway mat can assess progress or regression in patients with spinal injuries, knee abnormalities, foot and ankle deformities, hip abnormalities, osteoarthritis, amputations, and many progressive conditions and diseases.

protokinetics zeno walkway pressure sensing mat

Quantitative Gait Analysis (QGA), like that provided by ProtoKinetics PKMAS and Zeno Walkway, adds to the Orthopaedic surgeon’s tools with gait kinematics and gait kinetics data such as:

  • temporal and spatial parameters
  • coefficient of variation
  • footfall
  • relative pressure
  • step and stride
  • gait phase
  • gait cycle
  • velocity
  • distance
  • coordinates
  • Center of Pressure (COP)
  • static measurements such as quiet standing
  • and more.

This gait and balance assessment data can be used to create standards and baselines against which the patient’s progress can be compared, independent of or as an adjunct to the surgeon’s observations.

Gait analysis maximizes efficiency

Used together, PKMAS gait analysis software and the Zeno Walkway mat are a powerful gait analysys system. They offer an opportunity for the Orthopaedic surgeon’s office to maximize efficiency, as staff can be trained in data collection and the surgeon can interpret the parameters. This also allows the physician to accurately observe how gait parameters change over time during intervention.

As healthcare quickly moves to outcomes which require quantitative analysis, shorter hospital stays and increased function, gait analysis software will become more useful in tracking patient progress, functional loss or disability. Comparing data from Quantitative Gait Analysis made before and during intervention can guide protocols and show when the effect of the intervention has plateaued

ProtoKinetics PKMAS software and Zeno Walkway can provide data to:

  • Quantify gait impairments to create intervention plans and goals for patients
  • Pre- vs. Post-surgical gait function: Track progress through recovery
  • Quantify gait with various assistive devices to determine optimal conditions at various recovery stages
  • Track surgical effects on gait function