Effects of personal protective clothing on firefighters’ gait analyzed using a three-dimensional motion capture system

Abstract

Objectives. The effects of personal protective clothing (PPC) on firefighters’ gait were investigated to develop high-performance PPC. Methods. Thirteen participants participated in human trials with three types of PPC (firefighter protective clothing [FPC], semi-enclosed chemical protective clothing [CPC_semi] and fully enclosed chemical protective clothing [CPC_full]) and a T-shirt (control clothing [CON]). A three-dimensional (3D) motion capture system was used to obtain gait parameters (step length, step width, stride frequency, gait speed and toe-out angle) and the range of motion (ROM) of the joints (hip, knee and ankle). Results. PPC produced an increase in step width (23.4%, p > 0.05), but the gait speed (9.1%) and stride frequency (6.4%) decreased compared with the CON results. ROM is affected by the PPC type and joint. FPC and CPC_semi had no significant effect in terms of ROM of the hip and knee besides the landing angle of the knee. However, CPC_full had a significant effect on the maximum extension angle of the hip and maximum flexion angle of the knee, which reached up to 27.2%. Conclusion. The ROM of the firefighter’s lower limbs was limited by PPC. This study offers insights into next-generation PPC design and development, as well as guidelines for training and firefighting.