The aim of this research was to establish a kinematic pattern of adult gait for motion analysis system BTS Smart-E used in the research conducted in the Laboratory of Biomechanical Analysis, University School of Physical Education, Wrocław. This research presents the results of gait patterns for a group of 17 adult males for three speed levels: high (1), preferred (2), and low (3). Subject's se...

Background The walking gait of older adults with balance impairment is affected by dual tasking. Several studies have shown that external cues can stimulate improvement in older adults' performance. There is, however, no current evidence to support the usefulness of external cues, such as audio-visual cueing, in dual task walking in older adults. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate t...

BACKGROUND Gait adaptability, including the ability to avoid obstacles and to take visually guided steps, is essential for safe movement through a cluttered world. This aspect of walking ability is important for regaining independent mobility but is difficult to assess in clinical practice. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of an instrumented treadmill with...

BACKGROUND Gait and cognitive functions can deteriorate during dual tasking, especially in people with neurological deficits. Most studies examining the simultaneous effects of dual tasking on motor and cognitive aspects were not performed in ecological environments. Using virtual reality technology, functional environments can be simulated to study dual tasking. OBJECTIVES The aims of this s...

OBJECTIVES To identify appropriate clinical tests for determining the demand for personal care in older Japanese people. DESIGN Cross-sectional observation study. SETTING Obu Study of Health Promotion for the Elderly (Obu, Aichi) and Tsukui Ordered Useful Care for Health (241 day-care centres) cohorts in Japan. PARTICIPANTS A total of 10 351 individuals aged 65 years or older (6791 with p...

BACKGROUND Footwear worn indoors is generally less supportive than outdoor footwear and may increase the risk of falls. OBJECTIVE To evaluate balance ability and gait patterns in older women while wearing different styles of indoor footwear: a backless slipper and an enclosed slipper designed to optimise balance. METHODS Older women (n = 30) aged 65-83 years (mean 74.4, SD 5.6) performed a ...

Purpose: Considering the influence of horizontal velocity on many biomechanical characteristics of walking, the purpose of this study was to investigate how inter-lower-limbs local and global asymmetry is influenced by changes in walking speed from slow to fast. Methods: Ground reaction force data and trajectory of attached markers of bilateral lower limbs of 15 right leg-dominant able-bodied ...

BACKGROUND Reduced gait speed is common following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Several studies have found that people with TBI display increased lateral movement in their center of mass while walking. It has been hypothesized that reduced gait speed following TBI is a consequence of increased caution and postural instability, but reduced ankle power generation at push-off may also play a contr...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the association between measures of strength of the lower limb and trunk muscles and gait speed and to identify the muscle group that would best predict gait speed in individuals with sub-acute stroke. METHODS Using a cross-sectional observational study design, forty-four individuals with sub-acute stroke (62 years, SD=14; 4 months, SD=1 post-stroke) were assessed. T...

INTRODUCTION Frequent falls and risk of injury are evident in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) as the disease progresses. There have been no reports of any interventions that reduce the incidence of falls in idiopathic PD. PURPOSE Assess the benefit of gait and step perturbation training in individuals with PD. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Outpatient research, edu...