Gait & Posture

BACKGROUND: Postural instability can occur in the later-stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). The clinical pull-test is scored on a 0-4 scale on the Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), with postural instability scored 2 or higher. This ordinal scale does not adequately track progression in early-PD or predict development of postural instability. RESEARCH QUESTION: To develop a test that quantifiably measured the backward stepping response on the pull-test in early-PD...

BACKGROUND: Examining between-sessions test-retest reliability of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data is crucial to better interpret rehabilitation-related changes in the hemodynamic response. RESEARCH QUESTION: This study investigated test-retest reliability of prefrontal activity during usual walking in 14 patients with Parkinson's Disease with a fixed retest intervals of five weeks. METHODS: Fourteen patients performed usual walking in two sessions (T0 and T1)...

BACKGROUND: Identifying an individual from accelerometry data collected during walking without reliance on step-cycle detection has not been achieved with high accuracy. RESEARCH QUESTION: We propose an open-source reproducible method to: (1) create a unique, person-specific "walking fingerprint" from a sample of un-landmarked high-resolution data collected by a wrist-worn accelerometer; and (2) predict who an individual is from their walking fingerprint. METHODS: Accelerometry data were collected during walking from 32 individuals (23-52 y...

BACKGROUND: Carrying items of substantial weight and value in one's arms while traversing challenging terrain is a common task that requires considerable care. Carrying valuable (e.g., child) or variable (e.g., water) items, compared to stable ones (e.g., groceries) demands increased coordination, and is likely to lead to slower comfortable walking speed (CWS) and altered gait mechanics, especially on difficult terrain. RESEARCH QUESTION: How are gait parameters altered by carrying items of substantial weight and varying value and dynamics across more and less demanding terrain? METHODS: In two experiments, participants carried their child, an equally weighted sack of groceries, or an open bucket of water in the same manner across level floor and across uneven stairs of varying heights with gaps between them...

BACKGROUND: Dual Task (DT) walking in everyday life is the norm rather than the exception. Complex cognitive-motor strategies are employed during DT and it is necessary to coordinate and regulate neural resources to ensure adequate performance. However, the underlying neurophysiology involved is not fully understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the neurophysiology and gait kinematics during DT gait. RESEARCH QUESTION: Our main research question was whether gait kinematics changed during DT walking for healthy young adults and whether this is reflected in brain activity...

BACKGROUND: Footwear adjustment is recommended in the management plan of leg length discrepancy. However, it is not clear how the outsole of motion control shoe adjustment influences trunk symmetry and walking performance. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does bilateral adjustment of the outsole affect trunk and pelvis symmetry and ground reaction force during walking in individuals with leg length discrepancy? METHODS: 20 mild leg length discrepancy participants were recruited into a cross-sectional study...

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BACKGROUND: It is firmly established that postural threat seems to lead to an increased. reliance on an ankle control ('stiffening') strategy. However, little is known about how. postural threat affects performance in challenging tasks that require the use of upper. body postural control strategies for stability. It is logical to assume that in such. conditions, being able to utilise an upper body strategy may reduce the reliance on. such ankle stiffening strategy. Research question The objective of this study was to determine how arm movement...

BACKGROUND: Proper postural and motor control plays a fundamental role in the child's ontogenetic development. So far, the postural control in children on the autism spectrum has mainly been assessed with standard posturographic measurements of center of pressure (COP) displacements. RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the differences in postural control between autistic and typically developing children? METHODS: The study group comprised 16 autistic children aged 6-10 years, identified by a psychiatrist...

BACKGROUND: The determination of the knee joint axis (KJA) via specific calibration movements has become a promising alternative to the conventional approach to determine this axis based on regression equations or directly via marker placement on bony landmarks of the knee. Since the orientation of the KJA may differ between methods, it has direct influence on hip rotation and may therefore influence clinical decision making in context of transverse plane gait deviations. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does a functional KJA calibration lead to clinically relevant differences in hip rotation estimates during gait compared to the conventional method? METHODS: 95 subjects (age: 19...

BACKGROUND: Arm swing is linked to gait stability. How this is accomplished is unclear as most investigations artificially manipulate arm swing amplitude and examine average patterns. Biomechanical evaluation of stride-to-stride upper limb behaviour across a range of gait speeds, where the arm swings as preferred, could clarify this link. RESEARCH QUESTION: How do stride-to-stride arm swing behaviours change with gait speed and relate to stride-to-stride gait fluctuations? METHODS: Young adults (n = 45, 25 females) completed treadmill gait at preferred, slow (70% of preferred), and fast speed (130% of preferred) while full-body kinematics were acquired with optoelectronic motion capture...

BACKGROUND: A method has been developed to assess toe pressure strength in the standing position, taking into account concerns about toe grip strength. RESEARCH QUESTION: Which is more associated to postural control capability, the conventional toe grip strength or the newly devised toe pressure strength in the standing position, which is close to the actual movement? METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional study. This study included 67 healthy adults (mean age, 19 ± 1 years; 64% male)...

BACKGROUND: Tripping is one of the main causes of falls in older adults and has an important association with minimum toe clearance (MTC). MTC variability while performing alternating (ADT) or concurrent (CDT) dual-task activities may be a useful gait parameter to differentiate once-only fallers from non-faller older adults. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is the MTC variability influenced by ADT and CDT in once-only faller community-dwelling older adults? METHODS: Twenty-two community-dwelling older adults with a self-report of up to one fall in the last 12 months were allocated to the fallers group and 38 to the non-fallers group...

BACKGROUND: The ankle joint is one of the most involved joints in uphill walking. Furthermore, it is well known that toe walking increases the external dorsiflexion moment in the first half of stance during level walking. However, the effects of different foot-strike patterns on plantar flexor muscle forces, ankle joint forces, and other lower limb joint and muscle forces are unknown. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do foot-strike patterns during 18° uphill walking affect lower limb sagittal joint angles and moments, as well as joint contact and muscle forces? METHODS: This study was based on a data subset from previous publications, analysing uphill walking on an 18° ramp at a preset speed of 1...

BACKGROUND: Previous work has shown that the mean continuous relative phase and coordination variability of lower limbs are modified in older adults when walking. RESEARCH QUESTION: Here, we propose to understand the extent to which such control mechanisms for upper limbs are present during gait. Specifically, we seek to understand if aging and gait speed constraints influence the interjoint control of upper limbs during walking. METHODS: This observational study evaluated thirty-three participants, divided into older (n = 20, age 66...

BACKGROUND: Maximum-strength tests are commonly used to detect muscle weakness in persons with cerebral palsy (CP). Tests of explosive strength (power) in the lower extremities, such as vertical jump tests, are more uncommon but might supplement maximum-strength testing by providing additional information about motor function. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is it feasible and useful to measure single-leg vertical jumping in young adults with CP? METHODS: Eleven persons with spastic CP (18-30 years), able to walk without support, were compared with a reference group...

BACKGROUND: Gait retraining can be effective in altering lower extremity biomechanics and reducing risk of injury. In attempts to alter running gait, previous studies used metronomes to manipulate cadence. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this study was to determine if manipulating running cadence via music could alter lower extremity biomechanics. METHODS: Eighteen runners ran at a self-selected speed (SS) and ran to music where the beats per minute (bpm) of the songs was increased by 5% (+5%) and 10% (+10%)...

BACKGROUND: Interval training (IT) is influenced by several variables and its design. However, there is no consensus about the acute effects of this type of training on running kinematics and gait patterns due to the variety of session designs. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the acute effects of IT on gait patterns and running kinematics in endurance runners depending on the characteristics of the training sessions. METHODS: A systematic search on four databases (Pubmed, WOS, Medline, and Scopus) was conducted on February 22, 2022...

BACKGROUND: A transfemoral bone-anchored prosthesis (BAP) is an alternative for the conventional socket-suspended prosthesis (SSP) in persons suffering from socket-related problems. In these persons, it has been demonstrated to reduce oxygen consumption during walking, which could be related to centre of mass (CoM) and trunk dynamics. However, it remains uncertain whether the same comparative findings are found in SSP-users without any socket-related problems. RESEARCH QUESTION: Do oxygen consumption, CoM and trunk dynamics during walking differ between satisfied transfemoral SSP- and BAP-users and able-bodied individuals (AB); and are CoM and trunk dynamics and pistoning potential determinants of oxygen consumption? METHODS: Oxygen consumption was measured while participants walked on a treadmill at preferred speed, 30 % slower, and 30 % faster...

BACKGROUND: Clinical populations often walk with altered foot placement, which can adversely affect balance control. However, it is unknown how balance control during walking is influenced when combining a cognitive load with altered foot placement. RESEARCH QUESTION: Is balance control during walking adversely affected by the combination of a more complex motor task, such as walking with altered foot placements, with a cognitive load? METHODS: Fifteen young healthy adults walked on a treadmill with and without a spelling cognitive load during normal walking, with step width targets (self-selected width, narrow, wide and extra wide), or with step length targets (self-selected length, short and long)...