What are spatiotemporal gait parameters?

Spatiotemporal gait parameters are the distance and timing measures that describe a walking pattern: walking speed, cadence, step and stride length, step and stride time, stance and swing time, double support time, and step width. They are derived from when each foot contacts and leaves the ground, and from how far the body travels between those events.

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The gait cycle

One gait cycle, or stride, runs from initial contact of one foot to the next initial contact of the same foot. Every spatiotemporal parameter is a distance or duration defined within that cycle.

The cycle divides into stance, when the foot is on the ground, and swing, when it is not. At usual walking speed, stance occupies roughly 60 percent of the cycle and swing roughly 40 percent. Because the two limbs overlap, there are two brief periods of double support in each cycle, together making up around 20 percent of it.

Parameter definitions

ParameterDefinitionUsual units
Walking speedDistance travelled divided by time takenm/s
CadenceNumber of steps per minutesteps/min
Step lengthDistance between initial contact of one foot and initial contact of the otherm or cm
Stride lengthDistance between two consecutive initial contacts of the same footm or cm
Step timeTime between initial contact of one foot and the others
Stride timeDuration of one full gait cycles
Stance timeTime one foot is in contact with the grounds or % of cycle
Swing timeTime one foot is off the grounds or % of cycle
Single support timeTime only one foot is in contact with the grounds or % of cycle
Double support timeTime both feet are in contact with the grounds or % of cycle
Step widthLateral distance between the feet — the base of supportcm

Why the derived measures matter

Two patients can walk at the same speed and produce that speed differently. One may take short, quick steps; the other long, slow ones. Speed alone does not distinguish them.

  • Asymmetry — the difference between limbs on stance time, step length, or swing time. Often the clearest signal when one side is affected.
  • Variability — how much a parameter fluctuates between strides, typically reported as a coefficient of variation.
  • Double support — tends to lengthen with cautious or unsteady walking, and can change before speed does.
  • Step width — a wider base of support is a common compensation when balance is the limiting factor.

Where CurveAssure fits

CurveAssure gait reports cover walking speed, cadence, stride length, and stride time, measured from video of the walk. Because the recording preserves the whole pass rather than a single summary number, side-to-side differences remain in the record instead of being lost between visits.

References