Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
Treadmill-based gait analysis is widely used to investigate walking pathologies and quantify treatment effects on locomotion. Differential sensorimotor conditions during overground vs. treadmill walking necessitate initial familiarization to treadmill walking. Currently, there is no standardized treadmill acclimatization protocol and insufficient familiarization potentially confounds analyses. We monitored initial adaptations to treadmill walking in 40 healthy adults. Twenty-six walking parameters were assessed over 10 minutes with marker-based kinematic analysis and acclimatization profiles were generated. While 16 walking parameters demonstrated initial acclimatization followed by plateau performance, ten parameters remained stable. Distal lower limb control including ankle range of motion, toe trajectory and foot clearance underwent substantial adaptations. Moreover, intralimb coordination and gait variability also demonstrated acclimatization, while measures of symmetry and interlimb coordination did not. All parameters exhibiting a plateau after acclimatization did so within 6–7 minutes (425 strides). Older participants and those naïve to treadmill walking showed adaptations with higher amplitudes but over similar timescales. Our results suggest a minimum of 6 minutes treadmill acclimatization is required to reach a stable performance, and that this should suffice for both older and naïve healthy adults. The presented data aids in optimizing treadmill-based gait analysis and contributes to improving locomotor assessments in research and clinical settings.
Highlights
Treadmill-based gait analysis is widely used to investigate walking pathologies and quantify treatment effects on locomotion
Our results suggest a minimum of 6 minutes treadmill acclimatization is required to reach a stable performance, and that this should suffice for both older and naïve healthy adults
The shortest acclimatization period was exhibited by variability parameters (ACC hip-knee, coefficient of variation (COV) step length, COV stride time)
Summary
Treadmill-based gait analysis is widely used to investigate walking pathologies and quantify treatment effects on locomotion. Twenty-six walking parameters were assessed over 10 minutes with marker-based kinematic analysis and acclimatization profiles were generated. Instrumented gait analysis offers distinct advantages over such functional walking assessments as direct inferences regarding the mechanism of deficits and treatment responses can be made by analyzing kinetic and kinematic parameters[10,11,12]. Such analyses may be performed during overground walking, but this needs large acquisition volumes and invariably requires participants to execute turns or walk in circular paths, complicating data processing and interpretation. Three studies with different kinematic and kinetic outcome www.nature.com/scientificreports/
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
