Adolescent, Aged, Gait, Healthy, Middle Age, Physical Examination, Young Adult
Conditions
Keywords
healthy, gait, plantar force, balance, muscle function
Brief summary
This study will collect biomedical performance data on walking characteristics in normal, healthy people when walking with walking aids and when walking unaided. Data will be used for independent reporting and for comparison to matched people with pathological conditions. Data collected will including walking ability, balance, force under the feet when walking and muscle strength.
Detailed description
Young adults often tolerate the increased energy expenditure, coordination, and stance limb discomfort associated with walking aids for non-weightbearing ambulation. It is not clear how walking aid selection affects stance limb plantar force, walking speed, perceived exertion, and device preference in adults over 50 years of age.. This project is a prospective randomized crossover study using healthy adults, aged over 50 years, with no use of walking aids within 5 years. Participants will walk 200 m under 4 randomized conditions: single non-weightbearing ambulation using crutches, a walker, a wheeled knee walker, and unaided walking. An in-shoe sensor will measure stance limb plantar force, a stopwatch will be used to time each walk, a hand held dynamometer will measure arm muscle strength, perceived exertion will be reported using the BORG CR-10 scale, and device preference will be identified.
Interventions
OTHERNormal Foot Force
LoadSol Insoles will be inserted into the participants shoes. The device measures the pressure distribution on the bottom of the foot. Participants will then be asked to walk normally, use crutches, use a walker, and use a wheeled knee scooter. The pressure placed throughout the foot will be analyzed and compared under different conditions. This testing will take approximately 10 minutes.
Sponsors
University of Saskatchewan
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Inclusion criteria
* Able bodied individuals self reported good health
Exclusion criteria
* recent fractures history of neurologic disease or events.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Force under the stance limb foot | Through study completion, an average of one day. This is a one time assessment comparing differences in the normal force under the foot when the participant walks under 4 walking conditions. | A wireless insole force sensor (LoadSol; Novel Inc) will be fitted in the shoe of the stance foot to measure stance limb plantar force during each walking trial. This force sensor covers the entire plantar surface of the foot and manufacturer's protocol for calibration will be applied for each participant before data is recorded at 100 Hz via Bluetooth connection to an iOS device (ie, an iPad). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Arm strength in newtons | Through study completion an average of one day. This is a one time assessment to correlate strength with force under the stance limb foot with upper extremity strength under the 4 walking conditions. | a hand held dynamometer will measure strength of the triceps, biceps, and latissimus Dorsi |
| Perceived Exertion | Through study completion, an average of one day. This is a one time assessment to compare perceived exertion when the participant walks under 4 walking conditions. | The BORG revised category-ratio scale. Participants will be asked to rate the exertion from 0 nothing at all to 10 maximal after walking with each walking aid. |
| Walking aid preference | Through study completion, an average of one day. | This is a one time assessment to determine which walking device is preferred after walking with all four devices. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed