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Browsing by Author "Figueiredo, Maria Cristina Pinto Leite Braamcamp"

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  • Influence of walking speed in backpacker's gait : ground reaction forces and plantar pressure analysis
    Publication . Figueiredo, Maria Cristina Pinto Leite Braamcamp; Vilas-Boas, João Paulo
    The way we move can influence gait biomechanical parameters, and may, eventually, lead to damage and injury in short or long term. With this study we intended to, in first place, conduct a literature systematic review on the influence of speed in gait biomechanical parameters, and then investigate the effect of speed and backpack carrying on ground reaction force and plantar pressure parameters during gait. The first aim of this study was to systematically review the literature of the XXI century on the effect of increased speed on gait biomechanics. Three data base (PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus) were searched from 2001 to 2010 using the terms: (gait OR walking OR walk) AND (velocity OR speed) AND (ground reaction force OR kinetics OR kinematics OR biomechanical OR biomechanics OR plantar pressure OR mathematical model) AND (comparison OR compare OR change OR relation OR influence). A total of 71 papers were selected, dealing with analysis based on plantar pressure, kinetical, kinematical and electromyography variables. Results showed that there is a large consensus regarding the following biomechanical effects of gait speed increase: (i) time duration of stance; (ii) stride and step frequency; (iii) stride and step length; (iv) time duration of double support phase; (v) time duration of gait cycle; (vi) peak pressure; (vii) maximum force; (viii) vertical ground reaction force (GRF) peaks and intermediate minimum; (ix) time to vertical GRF peaks and intermediate minimum; (x) vertical impulse; (xi) anterior-posterior GRF peaks; (xii) anterior-posterior impulse; (xiii) peak moments; (xiv) peak powers; (xv) mechanical work; (xvi) centre of mass amplitudes; (xvii) muscle activity. However, the main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the speed in ground reaction force and plantar pressure parameters during occasional overload gait, compared with the unloaded condition. Sixty participants with a mean age of 23.0 ± 3.7 years, mean height of 168.0 ± 0.1 cm and mean body mass of 67.8 ± 11.2 kg were enrolled in this study. The participants walked on a walkway at a slow (68 steps/s) and a fast (112 steps/s) speed with and without wearing a backpack which raise their ―total body mass index" to 30. Plantar pressure parameters were measured with an F-Scan insole pressure system and ground reaction forces were collected using a Bertec force plate. Results showed that there is an increase of both vertical and both anterior-posterior GRF peaks, while the intermediate minimum of the vertical GRF decreased during both conditions (with and without backpack). Hallux, lesser toes, lateral and central forefoot and medial and central rearfoot were the foot regions that presented an increase of peak pressure while speed increased, for both conditions. Stance phase duration decreases as speed increases, for both load conditions. Gait pattern seems to be influenced by occasional overload in plantar pressure parameters, double support and temporal gait events, like heel strike and toe off.
    2011Master thesis Open access Show more