A minimum standardized gait analysis protocol: development and implementation by the Shriners Motion Analysis Laboratory network (SMALnet)

In the mid-1990's, there was a rapid increase in the number of Motion Analysis Laboratories in the Shriners Hospitals for Children (SHC) system. The potential for multi-center collaboration in clinical research associated with this expansion was recognized. Since that time, the twelve laboratories within SHC have worked to define a minimum standardized gait analysis protocol for data collection and processing. This paper outlines that protocol and describes the systematic process that led to its development and current level of implementation.