Gait Variability and Energy Cost of Oveground Walking in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective This study examined the associations between gait variability based on common spatiotemporal parameters and energetic cost of walking in persons with multiple sclerosis. Design Eighty-six persons with multiple sclerosis underwent the 6-min walk while wearing a portable metabolic unit. The cost of walking was generated by dividing the net steady-state VO2 (milliliter per kilogram per minute) by walking speed during the 6-min walk. Participants further completed two trials of walking on the GAITRite mat at a self-selected pace for measuring spatiotemporal parameters. Variability of step length, step time, stride length, swing time, stance time, stride velocity, and single- and double-support time was indexed by the coefficient of variation. Results Variability in the spatiotemporal variables and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were significantly correlated with cost of walking (i.e., ρ = 0.25–0.36). Multivariate analysis revealed that disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale: β = 0.186), stance time variability (β = 1.446), and step length variability (β = −1.216) explained significant variance (R2 = 0.38, P

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