Changes in Postural Control following Inclined Backward and Forward Treadmill Walking.

Abstract

In recent years, backward walking has been shown to provide neuromuscular and cardiovascular benefits and postural control improvements in school-aged children. However, the immediate impact of backward walking is not known. PURPOSE: To determine the impact that backward and forward walking on a treadmill at a matched intensity had on postural motion. METHODS: Ten participants, five males and five females (age = 19.8 ± 0.9 yr, height = 172.0 ± 8.0 cm, weight = 76.1 ± 13.9 kg, BMI = 25.6 ± 3.7 kg·m-2, VO2max = 44.86 ± 9.40 ml·kg-1·min-1) completed three lab sessions, seven to fourteen days apart. In session one maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) was established for each participant and familiarization of standing on the force plate with an Airex ®pad. Session two consisted of a 15-minute backward walking trial (BWT) at 67 m·min-1 and 10% grade. Session three consisted of a 15-minute forward walking trial (FWT) at an intensity similar to that of BWT. In the second and third sessions, center of pressure (COP) motion was recorded while standing on a force plate for 30s prior to and immediately following walking sessions under eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions. RESULTS: The results of the postural sway and exertion measures are in the table below:Table: No title available.Mean ± SD; *p<0.05 compared to FWT, p< 0.05 compared to EO, p< 0.05 compared to baseline. ApEn = Approximate Entropy, EO = eyes open, EC = eyes closed. CONCLUSION: Backward walking compared to forward walking elicited increases in the total amount of COP motion (path length, mean A-P/M-L) regardless of the vision condition. Consistent with the measures of exertion, this may indicate that backward walking placed a greater demand on the immediate postural responses compared to forward walking as a result of different activation levels of the ankle musculature involved in backward walking.