The Effects of Walking Speed on Adult Multi-segment Foot Kinematics

It has recently been shown that gait speed has an effect on multi-segment foot kinematics. To increase our understanding of these effects, it is critical to compare and develop a database of walking speed ranges. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of walking speed on multi-segment foot kinematics. A 12-camera Vicon motion capture system was used to collect kinematic data on 22 participants (mean age: 23 ± 2.6 years). Participants were asked to walk at 5 gait speeds; very slow, slow, free, fast, and very fast. Across speeds, significant differences were found in all absolute angles, 6 of 9 relative mean maximum angles, 11 of 13 timing to the maximum angles, and all temporal-spatial variables analysed. These findings suggest that clinical gait data that uses multi-segment foot models should be matched to a control group walking at a similar speed. The Effects of Walking Speed on Adult Multi-segment Foot Kinematics