ArticlePeerJ2026
Energetics, kinematics, and physiologic aspects of tango walking in the leader role.
Article in PeerJ, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Tango has therapeutic potential to improve gait and quality of life in populations with locomotor impairments. However, quantitative biomechanical and metabolic evidence remains limited. Tango walking in the leader role involves gait modifications that may affect locomotor economy. This study quantified metabolic cost, mechanical work, centre of mass motion and energetics during tango walking, and compared these variables with self-selected walking at similar speeds. We hypothesized that tango walking would increase cost of transport, reduce efficiency, and be associated with modifications in centre of mass motion and spatiotemporal gait parameters. Methods: Seventeen advanced tango dancers participated in the study, performing two 5-minute trials: self-selected walking and tango walking in the leader role just Milonga music. Oxygen consumption was measured to compute net metabolic power and cost of transport. Whole-body kinematics were recorded using a 3D motion capture system to reconstruct the centre of mass trajectories and compute spatiotemporal and mechanical variables. Statistical comparisons between conditions were performed using paired tests for discrete variables and Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) for time-series data. Results: Walking speed did not differ between conditions. Tango walking increased metabolic power and cost of transport (≈+50%) and reduced efficiency, without significant changes in mechanical work. SPM analyses revealed centre of mass trajectories with reduced lateral oscillations during mid-stance and greater knee flexion throughout stance. Conclusions: Tango walking to a milonga rhythm (stride frequency: 0.87 ± 0.22 Hz) increases metabolic demand without proportional changes in mechanical work. These changes are accompanied by alterations in knee kinematics and centre of mass trajectory. The findings suggest potential mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of tango on gait and balance, which require confirmation in neurological populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.