Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Walking speed, cadence and step length are selected to optimize the stability of head and pelvis accelerations

Walking speed, cadence and step length are selected to optimize the stability of head and pelvis... The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that an individual’s preferred or usual walking speed, step length and cadence optimize the stability of head and pelvic accelerations in vertical (V), anterior–posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) planes when walking. Acceleration patterns of the head and pelvis were recorded in ten healthy young adults as they walked on a level surface in three separate experiments: (1) walking at five different speeds, ranging from very slow to very fast; (2) walking in time to a metronome set at five different cadences, ranging from 33 to 167% of subjects’ usual cadence; and (3) walking at five different step lengths varying from very short to very long while keeping in time with a metronome set at cadences 67, 100 and 125% of usual cadence. The results indicated that acceleration patterns in the V and AP planes were most stable when subjects walked at their usual cadence and step length. In the ML plane, stability was suboptimal, but still adequate, with the usual cadence and step length. The findings suggest that healthy young people walk in a manner that maximizes V and AP stability while maintaining adequate, though suboptimal ML stability. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Experimental Brain Research Springer Journals

Walking speed, cadence and step length are selected to optimize the stability of head and pelvis accelerations

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/walking-speed-cadence-and-step-length-are-selected-to-optimize-the-0onXTfOWjV

References (36)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2007 by Springer-Verlag
Subject
Biomedicine; Neurology ; Neurosciences
ISSN
0014-4819
eISSN
1432-1106
DOI
10.1007/s00221-007-1094-x
pmid
17717650
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that an individual’s preferred or usual walking speed, step length and cadence optimize the stability of head and pelvic accelerations in vertical (V), anterior–posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) planes when walking. Acceleration patterns of the head and pelvis were recorded in ten healthy young adults as they walked on a level surface in three separate experiments: (1) walking at five different speeds, ranging from very slow to very fast; (2) walking in time to a metronome set at five different cadences, ranging from 33 to 167% of subjects’ usual cadence; and (3) walking at five different step lengths varying from very short to very long while keeping in time with a metronome set at cadences 67, 100 and 125% of usual cadence. The results indicated that acceleration patterns in the V and AP planes were most stable when subjects walked at their usual cadence and step length. In the ML plane, stability was suboptimal, but still adequate, with the usual cadence and step length. The findings suggest that healthy young people walk in a manner that maximizes V and AP stability while maintaining adequate, though suboptimal ML stability.

Journal

Experimental Brain ResearchSpringer Journals

Published: Jan 1, 2008

There are no references for this article.