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Sensors
Volume 23
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10.3390/s23020609
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Article

Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Control and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters during Level and Uphill Walking

by
Asimina Mexi
1,
Ioannis Kafetzakis
1,
Maria Korontzi
1,
Dimitris Karagiannakis
1,
Perikles Kalatzis
2 and
Dimitris Mandalidis
1,*
1
Sports Physical Therapy Laboratory, Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, School of Physical Education and Sports Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17237 Athens, Greece
2
Section of Informatics 1st Vocational Lyceum of Vari, Directorate of Secondary Education of East Attica, Hellenic Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, 16672 Athens, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2023, 23(2), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020609
Submission received: 30 July 2022 / Revised: 24 December 2022 / Accepted: 30 December 2022 / Published: 5 January 2023
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wearable Sensors for Assessment of Gait in Older Adults)
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Abstract

Load carriage and uphill walking are conditions that either individually or in combination can compromise postural control and gait eliciting several musculoskeletal low back and lower limb injuries. The objectives of this study were to investigate postural control responses and spatiotemporal parameters of gait during level and uphill unloaded (UL), back-loaded (BL), and front-loaded (FL) walking. Postural control was assessed in 30 asymptomatic individuals by simultaneously recording (i) EMG activity of neck, thoracic and lumbar erector spinae, and rectus abdominis, (ii) projected 95% ellipse area as well as the anteroposterior and mediolateral trunk displacement, and (iii) spatiotemporal gait parameters (stride/step length and cadence). Measurements were performed during level (0%) and uphill (5, 10, and 15%) walking at a speed of 5 km h−1 without and with a suspended front pack or a backpack weighing 15% of each participant’s body weight. The results of our study showed that postural control, as indicated by increased erector spinae EMG activity and changes in spatiotemporal parameters of gait that manifested with decreased stride/step length and increased cadence, is compromised particularly during level and uphill FL walking as opposed to BL or UL walking, potentially increasing the risk of musculoskeletal and fall-related injuries.
Keywords: front pack; backpack; EMG activity; trunk sway; gait analysis; erector spinae; rectus abdominis front pack; backpack; EMG activity; trunk sway; gait analysis; erector spinae; rectus abdominis

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MDPI and ACS Style

Mexi, A.; Kafetzakis, I.; Korontzi, M.; Karagiannakis, D.; Kalatzis, P.; Mandalidis, D. Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Control and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters during Level and Uphill Walking. Sensors 2023, 23, 609. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020609

AMA Style

Mexi A, Kafetzakis I, Korontzi M, Karagiannakis D, Kalatzis P, Mandalidis D. Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Control and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters during Level and Uphill Walking. Sensors. 2023; 23(2):609. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020609

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mexi, Asimina, Ioannis Kafetzakis, Maria Korontzi, Dimitris Karagiannakis, Perikles Kalatzis, and Dimitris Mandalidis. 2023. "Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Control and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters during Level and Uphill Walking" Sensors 23, no. 2: 609. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020609

APA Style

Mexi, A., Kafetzakis, I., Korontzi, M., Karagiannakis, D., Kalatzis, P., & Mandalidis, D. (2023). Effects of Load Carriage on Postural Control and Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters during Level and Uphill Walking. Sensors, 23(2), 609. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23020609

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