Self-selected speed provides more accurate human gait kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters than overground simulated speed on a treadmill: a cross-sectional study.

Federico Roggio, Bruno Trovato, Martina Sortino, Michele Vecchio, Giuseppe Musumeci

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

3citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

In-shoe plantar temperature, normal and shear stress relationships during gait and rest periods for people living with and without diabetes.Scientific reports · 2025
Article
Key accelerometry measures for understanding walking sway during dual-task exercises.Heliyon · 2025
Article
Evaluating the Reliability and Consistency of Treadmill Gait Analysis Using an RGB-D Camera: Effects of Assistance and No Assistance.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
Article

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

5 authors.

Federico RoggioDepartment of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Science, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Bruno TrovatoDepartment of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Science, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Martina SortinoDepartment of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Science, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Michele VecchioDepartment of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Pharmacology, , University of Catania, Rehabilitation Unit, "AOU Policlinico G. Rodolico", Catania, Italy.

Giuseppe MusumeciDepartment of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, Section of Anatomy, Histology and Movement Science, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. g.musumeci@unict.it.

Funding

Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca PRIN 2022PZH8SX

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWalking speed, a key element of gait analysis, is essential for evaluating the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system and is typically assessed on flat surfaces, such as walkways or treadmills. While many authors have compared the differences and similarities between treadmill and overground walking, no studies have yet investigated the differences between treadmill gait analysis at self-selected speed (SS) and overground simulated speed (OS). The hypothesis is that accurate kinematic measurements depend on selecting the correct gait speed; however, a mismatch between the perceived comfortable treadmill speed and actual overground speed may affect the accuracy of treadmill gait analyses. This study aimed to assess treadmill gait in healthy young adults by comparing the SS with the OS. The objectives were to determine whether participants could match SS with OS on a treadmill, examine sex differences in gait kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters (KSP) at different speeds, and identify which speed better reflects natural gait kinematics.

methodsA total of 60 healthy men and 70 healthy women, aged 22-35 years, participated in this cross-sectional study to investigate the gait kinematics and spatiotemporal differences between the SS and OS. Student's t-test, Bonferroni adjustment, Cohen's effect size, and quadratic regression were employed to analyse differences across walking speeds and groups.

resultsA discrepancy between OS and SS was observed in 66.4% of the participants. Our findings revealed that the adjusted R² values for KSP at SS were consistently greater than those at OS, suggesting that SS offers a more robust and accurate representation of gait kinematics, whereas OS is less reliable.

conclusionsThese findings underscore the importance of individualized speed selection in gait analysis, as it significantly impacts the accuracy of kinematic and spatiotemporal measurements. This insight is pivotal for clinicians and researchers to develop more effective rehabilitation strategies and comprehensively understand gait dynamics.

Indexed as

Fall riskGait analysisOverground speedPerceived speedRehabilitationSelf-selected speedVariability

Identifiers

PMID39497188

DOI10.1186/s13102-024-01011-3

PMCPMC11533392

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

LicenceCC BY-NC-ND

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.