Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37276010›Full record

ArticleJMIR formative research2023

Gait Stability Characteristics in Able-Bodied Individuals During Self-paced Inclined Treadmill Walking: Within-Subject Repeated-Measures Study.

Chenmiao Lu, Rawan Al-Juaid, Mohammad Al-Amri

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR formative research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Chenmiao Lu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5488-1785
Rawan Al-Juaid *Physical Therapy Department, Almuwaih General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Taif, Saudi Arabia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7689-6331
Mohammad Al-AmriSchool of Healthcare Science, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2806-0462
Cardiff University · GBMinistry of Health · SAZhejiang University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInclined walking is a challenging task that requires active neuromuscular control to maintain stability. However, the adaptive strategies that preserve stability during inclined walking are not well understood. Investigating the effects of self-paced inclined treadmill walking on gait stability characteristics and the activation patterns of key lower limb muscles can provide insights into these strategies.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of self-paced inclined treadmill walking on gait stability characteristics and the activation of key lower limb muscles.

methodsTwenty-eight able-bodied individuals (mean age 25.02, SD 2.06 years) walked on an augmented instrumented treadmill for 3 minutes at 3 inclination angles (-8°, 0°, and 8°) at their preferred walking speed. Changes in gait characteristics (ie, stability, walking speed, spatial-temporal, kinematic, and muscle forces) across inclination angles were assessed using a repeated measures ANOVA and the Friedman test.

resultsThe study revealed that inclined treadmill walking has a significant impact on gait characteristics (P<.001). Changes were observed in spatial-temporal parameters, joint angles, and muscle activations depending on the treadmill inclination. Specifically, stability and walking speed decreased significantly during uphill walking, indicating that it was the most challenging walking condition. Uphill walking also led to a decrease in spatial parameters by at least 13.53% and a 5.26% to 10.96% increase in temporal parameters. Furthermore, joint kinematics and peak activation of several muscles, including the hamstrings (biceps femoris, long head=109.5%, biceps femoris, short head=53.3%, semimembranosus=98.9%, semitendinosus=90.9%), gastrocnemius (medial gastrocnemius=40.6%, lateral gastrocnemius=35.3%), and vastii muscles (vastus intermedius=12.8%, vastus lateralis=16.7%) increased significantly during uphill walking. In contrast, downhill walking resulted in bilateral reductions in spatial-temporal gait parameters, with knee flexion increasing and hip flexion and ankle dorsiflexion decreasing. The peak activation of antagonist muscles, such as the quadriceps, tibialis anterior, and tibialis posterior, significantly increased during downhill walking (rectus femoris=97.7%, vastus lateralis =70.6%, vastus intermedius=68.7%, tibialis anterior=72%, tibialis posterior=107.1%).

conclusionsOur findings demonstrate that able-bodied individuals adopt specific walking patterns during inclined treadmill walking to maintain a comfortable and safe walking performance. The results suggest that inclined treadmill walking has the potential to serve as a functional assessment and rehabilitation tool for gait stability by targeting muscle training. Future research should investigate the effects of inclined treadmill walking on individuals with gait impairments and the potential benefits of targeted muscle training. A better understanding of the adaptive strategies used during inclined walking may lead to the development of more effective rehabilitation interventions for individuals with lower limb injuries.

Indexed as

healthy individualsmuscle activationself-paced walkingslope walkingstabilitytreadmill-based gait analysisvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID37276010
PMCPMC10280335
OpenAlexW4379469385

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.