Conference PaperPDF Available

Gait initiation in downhill walking

July 2019

Conference: 27th Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics
At: Calgary, Canada

Project: Slope walking biomechanics

Authors:

Hermann Schwameder

University of Salzburg

Universität Kassel

University of Salzburg

Gerda Strutzenberger

Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology GmbH

Inclined treadmills or static ramp constructions can be used to investigate downhill gait in a standardised laboratory condition. However, it is not clear how the different systems affect the gait pattern during downhill walking. Therefore temporo-spatial (Qualisys) and kinetic data (loadsol®) of 13 healthy participants walking with a given speed (1.1 m/s) downhill with a -6° decline on a treadmill and a ramp system were analysed. On the treadmill participants walked with 8% shorter steps and shorter contact times, while they increased step frequency by 6%. Peak resultant forces remained similar compared to walking on a ramp construction. These alterations might be due to mechanical and psychological effects and have to be considered when conducting and analysing research that focuses on downhill gait.

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Conference Paper

Full-text available

Comparison of temporo-spatial and kinetic parameters during downhill walking on a treadmill and on a...

July 2019

Inclined treadmills or static ramp constructions can be used to investigate downhill gait in a standardised laboratory condition. However, it is not clear how the different systems affect the gait pattern during downhill walking. Therefore temporo-spatial (Qualisys) and kinetic data (loadsol®) of 13 healthy participants walking with a given speed (1.1 m/s) downhill with a-6° decline on a ... [Show full abstract] treadmill and a ramp system were analysed. On the treadmill participants walked with 8% shorter steps and shorter contact times, while they increased step frequency by 6%. Peak resultant forces remained similar compared to walking on a ramp construction. These alterations might be due to mechanical and psychological effects and have to be considered when conducting and analysing research that focuses on downhill gait.

Conference Paper

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Gait initiation in upslope walking

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Background Inclined treadmills or static ramp constructions can be used to investigate downhill gait in a standardised laboratory condition. There is a lack of information how the gait patterns are affected when walking on a ramp or an inclined treadmill during uphill and downhill walking. Research question Is there a difference in temporo-spatial parameters, sagittal ankle, knee and hip joint ... [Show full abstract] angle as well as ground reaction force when walking uphill and downhill on a ramp and a treadmill. Methods Uphill and downhill gait of 15 healthy participants was assessed during walking on a treadmill and on a ramp with slope gradients of 12 °, 6 ° and 0 °. Participants were instructed to walk with the same speed on each slope-system. Kinematic and temporo-spatial paramters were collected using a 3D motion capture system (Qualisys, Gothenburgh, Sweden), kinetic data were collected using pressure insoles (loadsol®, Novel, Germany). Temporo-spatial parameters were analysed using a Friedman ANOVA, time series of kinematic and kinetic data were compared using statistical parametric mapping with a sigificance level of 5%. Results On the treadmill participants walked with significantly shorter steps and shorter contact times, while they significantly increased step frequency compared to walking on a ramp, regardless of slope gradient. In uphill conditions, treadmill gait increased hip and knee flexion angles during the stance phase and increased the forward tilt of the thorax during the entire gait cycle. During downhill walking a significant decrease in dorsiflexion during initial contact, midstance and the second half of the swing phase was observed. Peak resultant forces remained similar compared to walking on the ramp. These alterations might be due to mechanical and psychological effects. Significance Knowledge about these differences is important in future study design and data interpretation from existing literature.