A study to assess whether fixed-width beam walking provides sufficient challenge to assess balance ability across lower limb prosthesis users.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility of fixed-width beam walking for assessing balance in lower limb prosthesis users.

Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Laboratory.

Subjects

Lower limb prosthesis users.

Methods

Participants attempted 10 walking trials on three fixed-width beams (18.6, 8.60, and 4.01 wide; 5.5 m long; 3.8 cm high).

Main measures

Beam-walking performance was quantified using the distance walked to balance failure. Heuristic rules applied to each participant's beam-walking distance to classify each beam as "too easy," "too hard," or "appropriately challenging" and determine whether any single beam provided an appropriate challenge to all participants. The number of trials needed to achieve stable beam-walking performance was quantifie

SUBMITTER: Sawers A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6172946 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature