Department of Sports Biomechnics, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (2736 Views)
Purpose: Considering the influence of horizontal velocity on many biomechanical characteristics of walking, the purpose of this study was to investigate how inter-lower-limbs local and global asymmetry is influenced by changes in walking speed from slow to fast.
Methods: Ground reaction force data and trajectory of attached markers of bilateral lower limbs of 15 right leg-dominant able-bodied males were collected at each of three walking velocity conditions (slow, normal, and fast). Walking step frequencies were controlled with a metronome. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed on net sagittal joint moments of the stance phase to identify the actions of each joint and the lower limbs separately. Lower limb behavior was assumed symmetrical if the PCA curves extracted from each joint (local gait asymmetry) or each of the lower limbs (global gait asymmetry) described the same portion of the stance phase.
Results: Based on findings, the PCA method highlighted different functional tasks for ankle, knee, and hip joints suggesting local gait asymmetry at slow, normal, and fast walking. Also, at slow walking speed, total lower limbs showed global gait asymmetry, however, for normal and fast walking speeds, results showed global gait symmetry.
Conclusion: Considering the possibility of the effect of movement velocity on walking behavior, it is recommended that this factor should be controlled during walking investigations in clinical and research settings.
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● Suggestion of local gait asymmetry for lower limbs bilateral joints at slow, normal, and fast walking
● Suggestion of global gait symmetry by increasing the walking speed
● Movement velocity may affect walking behavior
Plain Language Summary
Movement velocity is an important factor in clinical gait biomechanics, which could be effective on asymmetrical behavior of lower limbs joint and total lower limbs. The previous studies have not provided a thorough commentary on this topic, so in the present study we consider this issue. Our general findings indicate that lower limbs behavior changes when walking at various velocities. Based on this finding we recommended that walking velocity should be considered as a controlling factor in this investigation.
Type of Study:
Research |
Subject:
General Received: 2019/10/1 | Accepted: 2020/05/18 | Published: 2020/07/9