The Effects of Application Site and Time of Vibration Stimulation: Changes in Gait Pattern and Muscle Activity

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate changes in gait pattern that appear after somatosensory stimulation evoked by applying mechanical vibration to the ankle. The gait pattern was observed in a real time using a footswitch mounted on the soles of the feet in order to increase the effectiveness of vibration stimulation. Based on the observed gait pattern, the application site and time of vibration stimulation were determined. The changes in the gait pattern that appear after the application of vibration stimulation were analyzed by comparing the percentage of the gait cycle and the activation of the lower extremity muscles. This study was conducted on young adults, and the result showed that the gait cycle was changed according to the application site of vibrating stimulation, and that the vibration stimulation with intensity less than the threshold, induced a similar effect as shown in vibration stimulation with threshold intensity. The result of this study shows that vibration stimulation could be effectively utilized for gait correction and rehabilitation. It can be also used as basic data for inferring the correlation of the characteristics of vibration stimulation with gait variability.