Gait parameters when walking with or without rollator on different surface characteristics - a pilot study among healthy individuals (original) (raw)
Related papers
Biomechanical analysis of rollator walking
Biomedical engineering online, 2006
The rollator is a very popular walking aid. However, knowledge about how a rollator affects the walking patterns is limited. Thus, the purpose of the study was to investigate the biomechanical effects of walking with and without a rollator on the walking pattern in healthy subjects. The walking pattern during walking with and without rollator was analyzed using a three-dimensional inverse dynamics method. Sagittal joint dynamics and kinematics of the ankle, knee and hip were calculated. In addition, hip joint dynamics and kinematics in the frontal plane were calculated. Seven healthy women participated in the study. The hip was more flexed while the knee and ankle joints were less flexed/dorsiflexed during rollator walking. The ROM of the ankle and knee joints was reduced during rollator-walking. Rollator-walking caused a reduction in the knee extensor moment by 50% when compared to normal walking. The ankle plantarflexor and hip abductor moments were smaller when walking with a rol...
Rollator use adversely impacts on assessment of gait and mobility during geriatric rehabilitation
Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2011
To investigate the influence of the use of a rollator walking aid on assessment of gait and mobility. Design: Prospective, longitudinal study. Subjects: Geriatric patients during inpatient rehabilitation (n = 109; mean age 83.1 years). Methods: Assessment at the beginning and prior to discharge from rehabilitation using: gait-analysis (GAITRite®, speed, cadence, stride-time, stride-length, base-of-support, double-support), Performance-Oriented-Mobility-Assessment (POMA), and Timed-Up-and-Go (TUG). Differences between outcomes obtained without and with rollator use were calculated for baseline assessment and for changes over time for the total group and subgroups according to diagnosis (hip fracture vs. other). Responsiveness was calculated using standardized response means. Results: Baseline performances were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) higher when assessed with vs. without rollator in the total group and in hip fracture (except cadence) and other (except cadence, stride-time, TUG) patients. Changes over time were significantly greater when assessed without vs. with rollator in the total group and hip fracture (except cadence, POMA) and other patients (except base-of-support, double-support). Tests without rollator showed superior responsiveness (except TUG). Conclusion: The use of rollator walking aids limits the detection of initial gait and mobility deficits, adversely affects the assessment of changes over time in gait and mobility performance, and reduces the responsiveness of tests. When full weight-bearing is permitted, assessment without a walking aid is recommended.
Journal of Healthcare Engineering, 2022
is study aims to investigate the gait stability response during incline and decline walking for various surface inclination angles in terms of the required coe cient of friction (RCOF), postural stability index (PSI), and center of pressure (COP)-center of mass (COM) distance. A customized platform with di erent surface inclinations (0°, 5°, 7.5°, and 10°) was designed. Twenty-three male volunteers participated by walking on an inclined platform for each inclination. e process was then repeated for declined platform as well. Qualysis motion capture system was used to capture and collect the trajectories motion of ten re ective markers that attached to the subjects before being exported to a visual three-dimensional (3D) software and executed in Matlab to obtain the RCOF, PSI, as well as dynamic PSI (DPSI) and COP-COM distance parameters. According to the result for incline walking, during initial contact, the RCOF was not a ected to inclination. However, it was a ected during peak ground reaction force (GRF) starting at 7.5°towards 10°for both walking conditions. e most a ected PSI was found at anterior-posterior PSI (APSI) even as low as 5°inclination during both incline and decline walking. On the other hand, DPSI was not a ected during both walking conditions. Furthermore, COP-COM distance was most a ected during decline walking in anterior-posterior direction. e ndings of this research indicate that in order to decrease the risk of falling and manage the inclination demand, a suitable walking strategy and improved safety measures should be applied during slope walking, particularly for decline and anterior-posterior orientations. is study also provides additional understanding on the best incline walking technique for secure and practical incline locomotion.
Objective measures of rollator user stability and device loading during different walking scenarios
PLOS ONE
Walking aids are widely used by older adults, however, alarmingly, their use has been linked to increased falls-risk, yet clinicians have no objective way of assessing user stability. This work aims to demonstrate the application of a novel methodology to investigate how the type of walking task, the amount of body weight supported by the device (i.e., device loading), and task performance strategy affect stability of rollator users. In this context, ten users performed six walking tasks with an instrumented rollator. The combined stability margin "SM" was calculated, which considers user and rollator as a combined system. A Friedman Test was used to investigate the effects of task on SM and a least-squares regression model was applied to investigate the relationship between device loading and SM. In addition, the effects of task performance strategy on SM were explored. As a result, it was found that: the minimum SM for straight line walking was higher than for more complex tasks (p<0.05); an increase in device loading was associated with an increase in SM (p<0.05); stepping up a kerb with at least 1 rollator wheel in ground contact at all times resulted in higher SM than lifting all four wheels simultaneously. Hence, we conclude that training should not be limited to straight line walking but should include various everyday tasks. Within person, SM informs on which tasks need practicing, and which strategy facilitates stability, thereby enabling person-specific guidance/training. The relevance of this work lies in an increase in walking aid users, and the costs arising from fall-related injuries.
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2017
Background: In an increasing aging society, reduced mobility is one of the most important factors limiting activities of daily living and overall quality of life. The ability to walk independently contributes to the mobility, but is increasingly restricted by numerous diseases that impair gait and balance. The aim of this cross-sectional observation study was to examine whether spatio-temporal gait parameters derived from mobile instrumented gait analysis can be used to measure the gait stabilizing effects of a wheeled walker (WW) and whether these gait parameters may serve as surrogate marker in hospitalized patients with multifactorial gait and balance impairment. Methods: One hundred six patients (ages 68-95) wearing inertial sensor equipped shoes passed an instrumented walkway with and without gait support from a WW. The walkway assessed the risk of falling associated gait parameters velocity, swing time, stride length, stride time-and double support time variability. Inertial sensor-equipped shoes measured heel strike and toe off angles, and foot clearance. Results: The use of a WW improved the risk of spatio-temporal parameters velocity, swing time, stride length and the sagittal plane associated parameters heel strike and toe off angles in all patients. First-time users (FTUs) showed similar gait parameter improvement patterns as frequent WW users (FUs). However, FUs with higher levels of gait impairment improved more in velocity, stride length and toe off angle compared to the FTUs. Conclusion: The impact of a WW can be quantified objectively by instrumented gait assessment. Thus, objective gait parameters may serve as surrogate markers for the use of walking aids in patients with gait and balance impairments.
Differences between Gait on Stairs and Flat Surfaces in Relation to Fall Risk and Future Falls
IEEE journal of biomedical and health informatics, 2017
We used body-worn inertial sensors to quantify differences in semi-free-living gait between stairs and on normal flat ground in older adults, and investigated the utility of assessing gait on these terrains for predicting the occurrence of multiple falls. 82 community-dwelling older adults wore two inertial sensors, on the lower back and the right ankle, during several bouts of walking on flat surfaces and up and down stairs, in between rests and activities of daily living. Derived from the vertical acceleration at the lower back, step rate was calculated from the signal's fundamental frequency. Step rate variability was the width of this fundamental frequency peak from the signal's power spectral density. Movement vigor was calculated at both body locations from the signal variance. Partial Spearman correlations between gait parameters and physiological fall risk factors (components from the Physiological Profile Assessment) were calculated while controlling for age and gen...
Sensors
Body-fixed sensor (BFS) technology offers portable, low-cost and easy-to-use alternatives to laboratory-bound equipment for analyzing an individual’s gait. Psychometric properties of single BFS systems for gait analysis in older adults who require a rollator for walking are, however, unknown. The study’s aim was to evaluate the concurrent validity, test-retest-reliability, and sensitivity to change of a BFS (DynaPort MoveTest; McRoberts B.V., The Hague, The Netherlands) for measuring gait parameters during rollator-assisted walking. Fifty-eight acutely hospitalized older patients equipped with the BFS at the lower back completed a 10 m walkway using a rollator. Concurrent validity was assessed against the Mobility Lab (APDM Inc.; Portland, OR, USA), test-retest reliability over two trials within a 15 min period, and sensitivity to change in patients with improved, stable and worsened 4 m usual gait speed over hospital stay. Bland–Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients ...
Gait & Posture, 2005
The purpose of this study was to determine if older persons with a disability have greater utilized coefficient of friction requirements than healthy older and younger adults during various walking conditions. Forty-eight community-dwelling adults were divided into five groups based on medical diagnosis and age: CVA (unilateral stroke; mean age 63 years), DM (diabetes mellitus; mean age 70 years), ARTH (lower extremity arthritis; mean age 69 years), SENIOR (healthy; mean age 73 years), and YOUNG (healthy; mean age 29 years). Ground reaction forces (GRF) were recorded as subjects walked across a walkway, ascended and descended stairs, and negotiated a turn. The utilized coefficient of friction (COF U ) throughout stance was calculated as the ratio of shear to vertical GRFs, and the peak COF U resulting from a shear force that would contribute to a forward foot slip was identified. Separate one-way ANOVAs were used to identify differences in peak COF U across subject groups for each walking task. The results of this study found that for all conditions evaluated, those with a disability did not demonstrate greater friction requirements then adults without a disability. Friction requirements for the YOUNG group were significantly greater than all disability groups while negotiating a turn, and were greater than the DM group during level walking. These results indicated that the diagnostic groups evaluated in this study are not at any greater risk for slip initiation than the healthy older or younger adults during the tasks evaluated. #
Influence of walking aid on temporal and spatial parameters of gait in healthy adults
PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation, 2014
Objective: To determine the effect of using a walking aid on temporal and spatial parameters of gait when used for balance versus support on the dominant and nondominant hand side. Design: Repeated measures observational study design. Setting: University gymnasium. Participants: Twenty-seven healthy male and female adults of mean AE standard deviation age 44.74 AE 10.00 years. Methods: Five walking conditions (C) were completed by all participants on the GAI-TRite pressure mat. Normal walking (C1), walking with a cane in the dominant hand (C2) and nondominant hand (C3) as if using for balance, walking with a cane in the dominant hand (C4) and nondominant hand (C5) while allowing approximately 10% of the body weight through the cane. Main Outcome Measurements: Temporal measurements (swing time, stance time, single limb support time, double limb support time) as percentage of a gait cycle and the base of support for the left and the right foot for all 5 walking conditions. Results: A significant difference (P < .001) was observed between C1, C2, and C3 in percentage swing time and percentage stance time of the ipsilateral side, and in percentage single limb support time of the contralateral side. The double limb support time was significantly different (P .04) for both ipsilateral and contralateral sides. Comparisons among C1, C4, and C5 demonstrated significance (P < .001) for all variables. Post hoc analysis showed significance between C1 and C4, and C1 and C5 for all variables except percentage stance time of the ipsilateral side and percentage single limb support of the contralateral side. Conclusions: In healthy adults, use of a cane for balance modifies swing and stance parameters of the ipsilateral side and does not affect the base of support formed by the feet. When used for support, the cane alters the swing and stance parameters, and also the base of support formed by the feet.
Medical Engineering & Physics, 2007
This paper describes a method that passively assesses basic walker-assisted gait characteristics using only force-moment measurements from the walker's handles. The passively derived gait characteristics of 22 subjects were validated against motion capture gait analysis. The force-moment based heel initial contact detection algorithm have produced a high level of concordance with heel initial contacts detected by a human inspecting the heel marker data sets of the Vicon video capture system. The algorithm has demonstrated 97% sensitivity and 98% specificity with a narrow 95% confidence interval of ±1% during all experiments, which included five navigational scenarios.