This study evaluated gait parameters of normal healthy individuals using an electro-goniometer to measure knee flexion angle during walking. Five subjects walked at slow, normal, and fast speeds over a 17m distance. Results showed that cadence remained consistent across speeds but step length and knee angle increased with speed. Knee angle ranged from 65 degrees during slow walking to 69 degrees during fast walking. Step and stride lengths were longer when walking with footwear compared to without. The electro-goniometer and gait analysis provide a method to diagnose gait abnormalities and inform prosthetic design.

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Evaluation of normal Gait using
electrogoniometer
Article in Journal of scientific and industrial research · August 2009
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Central Scientific Instruments Organization
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Amod Kumar
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2. 696 J SCI IND RES VOL 68 AUGUST 2009
Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research
Vol. 68, August 2009, pp. 696-698
*Author for correspondence
E-mail: neel15278@rediffmail.com
Evaluation of normal Gait using electro-goniometer
Neelesh Kumar1
, Dinesh Pankaj1
, Ankit Mahajan1
, Amod Kumar1
and B S Sohi2
1
Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh 160 030, India
2
University Institute of Engineering & Technology (UIET), Chandigarh 160 014, India
Received 23 May 2008; revised 09 April 2009; accepted 22 May 2009
A potentiometer-based electro-goniometer has been developed to measure knee angle of normal healthy individuals (5),
who were instructed to walk slow, normal and brisk for walking distance of 17 m. Data acquisition and analysis on acquired data
were done using LabVIEW. For individuals with different physical parameters, it was found that frequency (steps/min) remains
the same irrespective of varying velocities. Step length reduces as individuals walk without shoes.
Keywords: Gait cycle, Goniometer, Knee flexion angle, Step length, Stride length
Introduction
Quantitative estimation of human walking is
normally done through gait analysis, which involves
extraction and evaluation of Gait parameters1,2
. Clinical
gait analysis allows measurement and assessment of
walking biomechanics such as joint motion for
identification of abnormal characteristics and
recommendation of treatment alternatives3
. Joint
mobility can be determined by visual estimation,
gyroscope, accelerometers, and goniometers4
. Knee
angle measurement using electro-goniometer is used
increasingly5
. Studies are available on evaluation of gait
parameters during normal walking6,7
. Present study
evaluates various spatio temporal parameters of normal
walk with developed electro-goniometer. Walking
comparison has been made on the basis of subject’s
age, height, weight, sex etc.
Materials and Methods
Normal healthy individuals (5, both male/female;
age, 21-30 y; weight, 49-72 kg; height, 157-175 cm)
were evaluated of gait parameters for prosthetic
development. All individuals were free from
cardiovascular, orthopedic, clinical pathology affecting
their ambulatory capacity, and were comfortably able
to walk long distances without any external assistance.
Distance covered by uninterrupted walking was 17 m.
All individuals were instructed to walk at their normal,
slow and fast speed.
Five walking trials of each individual, for three self
selected walking speeds were conducted. An electro-
goniometer sensor using principle of potentiometery was
developed to measure angles between two linear elements
meeting at a joint. A linear potentiometer (5K) uses a
principle of linear change in electrical resistance with linear
change in angle of rotation of axis. Electro-goniometer
device was connected to human knee joint. Electro-
goniometer converts joint angle in to voltage, which is
sensed by DAQ card. Maximum sampling rate of DAQ
card was 500kS/s and it can digitize analog signals with
12 bit ADC. A suitable calibration factor is derived to
calibrate measured knee angle values in terms of acquired
voltages. Accuracy and precision of electro-goniometer
depends on mechanical design and electrical properties
of sensor. Precision achieved was ±0.5°. Acquired data
was stored (rate 1 Hz) and analysed using LabVIEW
(version 7.0) for calculation of spatial parameters (flexion
angle, step length, forward velocity, cadence etc.). Step
length is total distance along path of walk from foot strike
of one foot to foot strike of opposite foot. Cadence is
defined as the number of steps taken per unit time.
Results
Variation, reported in walking parameters for the
subjects (n=5), is mainly due to physical characteristic

3. KUMAR et al: EVALUATION OF NORMAL GAIT USING ELECTRO-GONIOMETER 697
(height, weight & sex) of every individual. The study
reveals that cadence of individuals remained almost same
in self selected walking speed irrespective of walking
patterns. Self-selected speed variation was 3.12-5.46
(slow), 4.12-6.07 (normal) and 5.54-7.59 (fast). Average
cadence parameter were evaluated as 99.75 (slow), 120
(normal) and fast (132.45) walk. Knee flexion angle
variation is 65° for slow walk (Fig. 1), 67° for normal
walk (Fig. 2), and 69° for fast walk (Fig. 3). Experiments
were also done to analyze walking patterns of individuals
wearing footwear and without footwear. Knee flexion
angle varies up to 4° with increase in walking speed with
footwear. Significant increase in step, stride length up to
4 cms was analysed when walking with footwear.
Fig. 1—Knee angle variation for slow walk
Fig. 2—Knee angle variation for normal walk
0:00.000 0:05.000 0:10.000 0:15.000 0:20.000
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4. 698 J SCI IND RES VOL 68 AUGUST 2009
Similarly, decrease in stride length up to 4 cms was
observed in case of walking without footwear.
Conclusions
Studies on normal gait patterns of healthy individual
for different walking speed give ability to diagnose any
abnormalities. Experiments prove that changes in gait
parameters like linear velocity are dependent on step
length and stride length. Range of knee flexion angle for
normal walking speed is 65°. Knee flexion angle varies
with variation in velocity of walking. Knee flexion angle
variation from slow and fast speed is 4°. These finding
can be used for developing prosthetic control algorithm
to provide swing stance stability based on different
walking speeds. Significant increase in step, stride length
and decrease in cadence is reported when walking with
footwear. Additional weight of footwear adds inertial
force during swing phase thus increasing step and stride
lengths.
References
1 Richard F & Duddley S, Prostheses and artificial limbs, Encycl
Appl Phys, 15 (1996) 115-128.
2 Bohannon W R, Comfortable and maximum walking speed of
adults aged 20-79 years: reference values and determinants, J
Age Ageing, 26 (1997) 15-19.
3 Davis B R, Reflections on clinical gait analysis, J Electromyo
Kinesi, 7 (1997) 251-257.
4 Cleffken B, Breukelen G Van, Brink P, Mameren H Van &
Damink S O, Digital goniometric measurement of knee joint
motion: Evaluation of usefulness for research settings and
clinical practice, Knee, 14 (2007) 385-389.
5 Sutherland D.H, The evolution of clinical gait analysis Part II
Kinematics, J Gait Posture, 16 (2002) 159-179.
6 Majumdar D, Banerjee P K, Majumdar D, Pal M & Kumar R,
Temporal spatial parameters of gait with barefoot, bathroom
slippers and military boots, Indian J Physiol Pharmacol, 50
(2006) 33-40.
7 Blanc Y, Balmer C, Landis T & Vingerhoets F, Temporal
parameters and patterns of the foot roll over during walking:
normative data for healthy adults, J Gait Posture, 10 (1999)
97-108.
Fig. 3—Knee angle variation for fast walk
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T
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