Voluntarily changing step length or step width affects dynamic stability of human walking.

ABSTRACT: Changes in step width (SW), step length (SL), and/or the variability of these parameters have been prospectively related to risk of falling. However, it is unknown how voluntary changes in SW and SL directly alter variability and/or dynamic stability of walking. Here, we quantified how variability and dynamic stability of human walking changed when individuals voluntarily manipulated SW and SL. 14 unimpaired, young adults walked on a treadmill at their preferred walking speed with normal gait, with a metronome and with narrower, wider, shorter and longer steps than normal. Taking narrower steps caused increased SL variability while mediolateral (ML) movements of the C7 vertebra (i.e., trunk) became locally more stable (p<0.05) and anterior-posterior (AP) C7 movements became locally less st

SUBMITTER: McAndrew Young PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3299923 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature