This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hamilton, J. Articles by Grant, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hamilton, J. Articles by Grant, M. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Walking ability as a measure of treatment effect in early rheumatoid arthritis

Southern General Hospital NHS Trust, Glasgow, Scotland

Gillian Brydson

Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland

Susan Fraser

Southern General Hospital NHS Trust, Glasgow, Scotland

Margaret Grant

Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland

Objective: To assess the clinical usefulness of a prototype walkmat system in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Subjects: Twenty-four subjects with early RA and symptomatic forefoot disease requiring therapy with second-line drugs were recruited.

Design: Each subject underwent clinical assessment together with gait analysis on the contact sensitive walkmat system and Kistler forceplate before and after six months of treatment with second-line drugs. Two subjects were lost to follow-up.

Results: There was the expected improvement in disease activity in response to therapy. Significant differences were also demonstrated in defined gait parameters that indicated improved weight-bearing and enhanced forefoot propulsion.

Conclusion: Medical therapy improved walking ability in patients with RA and the walkmat system provided a useful adjunct to existing outcome measures in the assessment of lower limb function.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Laroche, T. Pozzo, P. Ornetti, C. Tavernier, and J. F. Maillefert Effects of loss of metatarsophalangeal joint mobility on gait in rheumatoid arthritis patients Rheumatology, April 1, 2006; 45(4): 435 - 440. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]