Locomotor adaptations to prolonged step-by-step frontal plane trunk perturbations in young adults. PLoS One 2018;13(9):e0203776
Date
09/21/2018Pubmed ID
30235250Pubmed Central ID
PMC6147485DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0203776Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85053596088 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 4 CitationsAbstract
The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude and time course of dynamic balance control adaptations to prolonged step-by-step frontal plane forces applied to the trunk during walking. Healthy young participants (n = 10, 5 female) walked on an instrumented split-belt treadmill while an external cable-driven device applied frontal plane forces to the trunk. Two types of forces were applied: 1) forces which accentuated COM movement in the frontal plane (destabilizing) and 2) forces which resisted COM movement in the frontal plane (stabilizing). We quantified dynamic balance control using frontal plane measures of (1) the extent of center of mass (COM) movement over a gait cycle (COM sway), (2) the magnitude of base of support (step width), and (3) cadence. During destabilizing force conditions, COM sway, step width, and cadence increased. In response to stabilizing force conditions, COM sway decreased. In addition, during destabilizing balance conditions participants made quicker adaptations to their step width compared to the time to adapt to stabilizing forces. Taken together, these results provide important insight into differences in dynamic balance control strategies in response to stabilizing and destabilizing force fields.
Author List
Walker ER, Hyngstrom AS, Onushko T, Schmit BDAuthors
Allison Hyngstrom PhD Associate Professor in the Physical Therapy department at Marquette UniversityBrian Schmit PhD Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Marquette University
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Adaptation, PhysiologicalAdult
Biomechanical Phenomena
Female
Humans
Locomotion
Male
Postural Balance
Walking
