Lead Researcher:

Professor N Chockalingham

Institution:

Staffordshire University

The main objective of this project is to examine whether the team can establish the relationship between curve characteristics and subtle functional disability in patients with AIS.  The proposed research will establish base line gait parameters and validate a protocol for a large multicentre clinical trial.

The team will document the surface topography of these individuals using a system that they have previously developed.  (Shannon, 2012; Chockalingam 2016).  They will employ an optoelectronic system along with force-plates to collect required data, and will use a validated marker set (Needham et al 2016 for the back surface and Leardini et al., 2007 for the lower limbs) to understand the movement of the back and its relationship to other body segments during activities of daily living. To improve the reliability and validity, the marker set which will be used as a part of this study will be 3D printed.

The results of this study will provide a structured baseline data for gait in patients with AIS. In addition, the data will provide information on the movement variability within these patients for the first time.  This movement variability assessed through dynamical systems perspective is a step change to current clinical practice. This data will provide information for delivering an effective clinical management for patients with AIS. Furthermore, the kinematic and kinetic data will be used to inform a wider, multicentre trial to substantiate the findings of this study. This trial will have the capability to expand on the inclusion criteria.