REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Sharp turns are suspected to increase expression of several distal forelimb lamenesses even at the walk but the biomechanical consequences of such a movement remain unknown. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the effects of a sharp turn at the walk on the 3-dimensional movements of the distal segments ...

BACKGROUND: Despite the many known benefits of physical activity, some women (27%) report no leisure-time physical activity in the prior month. Of those women who began an exercise program, the dropout rate was as high as 50% in the first 3-6 months. The challenge for researchers and clinicians is to ...

In order to increase or maintain speed at sub-maximal intensities, well-trained swimmers have an increase in their stroke rate, thus a decrease in their stroke. The purposes of this study were i) to ascertain whether the maximal speed from which the stroke length decreases significantly (SSLdrop) corresponds to the maximal ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To assess the relative contribution and the predictive value of an early cycling test to walking performance three months after stroke. METHOD: This follow-up study included subjects who were inpatients after afirst stroke (n=44). A cycling test was performed at the beginning of rehabilitation, followed by three-months' ...

BACKGROUND: The ability to maintain a steady gait rhythm is impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This aspect of locomotor dyscontrol, which likely reflects impaired automaticity in PD, can be quantified by measuring the stride-to-stride variability of gait timing. Previous work has shown an increase in both the variability ...

OBJECTIVE: To improve walking and other aspects of physical function with a progressive 6-month exercise program in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). METHODS: MS patients with mild to moderate disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale scores 1.0 to 5.5) were randomly assigned to an exercise or control group. The intervention consisted ...

INTRODUCTION: Common modalities of clinical exercise testing for outcome measurement after pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) include walk tests, progressive cycle ergometry, and cycle endurance testing. We hypothesized that patients' responses to PR, as measured by those 3 tests, are differentially correlated, and we designed a study to investigate the tests' capacity ...

BACKGROUND: Current ACSM guidelines recommend that adults should exercise for 20-60 min on 3-5 days.week(-1) (M.L. Pollock, et al., The recommended quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and flexibility in healthy adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 30 (6) (1998) 975-991.). ...

The movement of the center of mass (COM) during human walking has been hypothesized to follow a sinusoidal pattern in the vertical and mediolateral directions. The vertical COM displacement has been shown to increase with velocity, but little is known about the mediolateral movement of the COM. In our evaluation ...

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to establish the effect of simple non moulded flat based insoles on three-dimensional foot motion during normal walking. Excessive foot pronation is considered a major contributing factor to lower limb injuries. Moulded foot orthoses have been shown to decrease maximum foot eversion. Simple ...

More than 3 million stroke survivors live with residual disabilities and mobility deficits even after rehabilitation. Therefore, it is important to develop new, more effective, gait training methods. The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) testing the feasibility of combining multi-channel functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) using intramuscular (IM) electrodes ...

During locomotion, mammalian limb postures are influenced by many factors including the animal's limb length and body mass. Polk (2002) compared the gait of similar-sized cercopithecine monkeys that differed limb proportions and found that longer-limbed monkeys usually adopt more extended joint postures than shorter-limbed monkeys in order to moderate their ...

PURPOSE: Concurrent and construct validity of the OMNI-Walk/Run Scale of Perceived Exertion was examined using young adult women and men (18-36 yr). METHODS: Concurrent validity was established by correlating OMNI-Walk/Run Scale ratings of perceived exertion (RPE-OMNI) with oxygen uptake (VO2), relative maximal oxygen uptake (%VO2(max)), ventilation (VE), respiratory rate (RR), ...

Moderate-intensity physical activity is recommended to promote health, and augment peak oxygen transport, thus reducing the risk of chronic disease, and delaying functional loss in the elderly. The optimal method of prescribing the recommended intensity of effort [approximately 50% of oxygen intake reserve ( V(.)O(2reserve)) or heart rate reserve (HR(reserve))] ...

Mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO(2)) is a standard invasive measure used in the management of congestive heart failure patients. The reliability of a long-term SvO(2) sensor remains unproven. Nine patients (NYHA Class I/II, n=2/7) were implanted with a dual chamber pacemaker modified to utilize a right ventricular SvO(2) lead (Medtronic ...

Degenerative osteoarthritis in the subtalar and mid-tarsal joints occurring after tibio-talar arthrodesis is thought to be a consequence of abnormal foot dynamics. We hypothesized that the forward tilt of the tibia during stance induces early heel-off and alteration of the progression of ground reaction force (GRF) after ankle arthrodesis. Three-dimensional ...

This analysis describes walking patterns among African American, Native American, and Caucasian women from South Carolina and New Mexico. Walking was assessed using pedometer and physical activity (PA) record data based on 4 consecutive days on either three (Study Phase 1) or two (Study Phase 2) occasions. Participants walked 5,429 ...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of load, load position, and walking speed on the energy cost of walking per unit distance (Cw: ml/kg/m). METHODS: Eight young male subjects walked on a treadmill at various speeds with and without load in the hands, on the ...

BACKGROUND: Understanding how environmental attributes can influence particular physical activity behaviors is a public health research priority. Walking is the most common physical activity behavior of adults; environmental innovations may be able to influence rates of participation. METHOD: Review of studies on relationships of objectively assessed and perceived environmental attributes ...

Human locomotion on Mars will be considerably different from on Earth. Optimum walking speeds will be approximately 30% lower and transitioning from a walk to a run will occur at a speed 25% slower. Peak vertical forces will be reduced by as much as 50%, and although ground contact time ...

OBJECTIVE: To measure walking speed and energy cost in patients with prior stroke with and without a carbon composite ankle foot orthosis. DESIGN: Within-group comparisons of 2 walking conditions. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of 10 hemiparetic patients with a stroke at least 6 months earlier (average age 52 years) habituated to ...

PURPOSE: Although the Peripheral Arterial Disease Rehabilitation Program (PADRx) improves walking ability and quality of life over brief periods of follow-up, the long-term durability of results has not been established. This study examined functional status, walking ability, and quality of life in patients several months after completion of a 12-week ...

BACKGROUND: Long-term follow-up of sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is well established; however, little is known about the effects of extensive surgery in the pelvic and perineal region, which involves disruption of muscles providing maximal support in normal walking. METHODS: Thirteen patients operated on at birth for SCT with extensive muscle dissection ...

PURPOSE: A pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility of supervised treadmill exercise training to improve functioning in study participants with peripheral arterial disease who did not have classical symptoms of intermittent claudication. METHODS: For this study, 32 men and women with peripheral arterial disease but no symptoms of ...

This study compared the caloric expenditure of 30 consecutive minutes (30 minute) of moderate intensity walking with 3 intermittent 10-minute bouts (3 x 10 minutes) of moderate intensity walking in healthy, unfit men (40-49 years). Screening consisted of VO(2)max testing, which was measured using the Balke graded exercise test. Criteria ...

We examined swimming behaviour, gait recruitment and post-exercise muscle glycogen, muscle lactate, plasma lactate and oxygen consumption in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu; 24-38 cm fork length) that voluntarily ascended a 25 m raceway against water velocities ranging from 40 to 120 cm s(-1). Physiological parameters were referenced to additional measurements ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the application of partial weight-bearing (PWB) supported treadmill gait training augmented by functional electric stimulation (FES) in subjects with acute incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: Before-after crossover trial with control (A) and intervention (B) periods. SETTING: Physiotherapy (PT) department of a spinal injuries unit in Scotland. ...

A real-time system for deriving timing control for functional electrical stimulation for foot-drop correction, using peripheral nerve activity as a sensor input, was tested for reliability to investigate the potential for clinical use. The system, which was previously reported on, was tested on a hemiplegic subject instrumented with a recording ...

The Easy Strutter Functional Orthosis System (ESFOS) was designed to improve assistive device ambulatory efficiency. This crossover design study compared the ESFOS to axillary crutches during modified 3-point gait. Thirty-eight subjects (40-65 years of age) at > 1 year after unilateral total knee or hip replacement participated in this study. ...

Small physical activity increases may prevent weight gain in most populations. Geneva residents completed validated quantitative physical activity frequency questionnaires from 1997 to 2001. Fifteen minutes per day of moderate or brisk walking, or 30 minutes per day of slow walking, could increase physical activity at the population level; however, ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the self-selected exercise intensity of older adults who report that they walk briskly for exercise. An additional aim of the study was to assess the contribution of self-reported physical activity to self-selected exercise intensity. DESIGN: Observational. SETTING: walking path. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects consisted of 212 participants in the ...

We asked what the role of the vestibular system is in adaptive control of locomotor trajectory in response to walking on a rotating disc. Subjects with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) were compared to age- and gender-matched controls (CTRL). Subjects walked in place on the surface of a rotating disc for ...

Exercise-induced purpura (EIP) occurs on the lower legs after unusual or major muscular activity, as in marathon runners or as after long walks, especially in the mountains in hot weather. In leisure walkers, patients are otherwise healthy females. There is no relation with chronic venous disorder. Erythematous, urticarial or purpuric ...

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a 12-week functional exercise programme on overweight women. METHODS: Twenty-six subjects (n=13 exercisers, n=13 controls) aged (mean+/-SD) 63 (+/-4) years completed the study. The exercise sessions were carried out twice each week for 12 weeks. The variables measured ...

The operant-trained Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, can walk with both a quadrupedal (Qp) and a bipedal (Bp) gait on the surface of a treadmill belt, which moves at different speeds. The animal can also learn to transform its locomotor pattern from Qp to Bp, and vice versa, without a break ...

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the effects of strength training on gait velocity, cadence, step length, and energy expenditure as well as the distance ambulated during a three-minute walk test in adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and to provide an assessment of subjects' preference for exercising in a ...

Despite the known benefits of exercise, 60% of African American women are sedentary. The efficacy and dose-response effects of low intensity exercise performed in community settings by overweight sedentary women have not been established. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two intensities of walking on ...

Current sensors for the control of functional electrical stimulation (FES) assisted walking in hemiplegic individuals are not wholly satisfactory, as they are either not implantable or ineffectual in the detection of heel contact events. This study describes the use of an accelerometer placed on the trunk to detect heel contact ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cardiorespiratory fitness of subacute stroke patients and to determine whether reduced fitness is associated with gait performance. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen patients in an inpatient rehabilitation unit who had mild to moderate gait impairments after a recent (< or =7wk) stroke. ...

BACKGROUND: Current theory about how an older adult's leg strength influences walking speed is based primarily on nonlinear patterns of association observed in cross-sectional data. Compared with adults with normal or high levels of leg muscle strength, weak older adults are thought to have a greater capacity for functional change ...

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of 3 prosthetic mass conditions on selected physiologic responses during multiple speed treadmill walking in persons with transtibial amputation. DESIGN: A repeated-measures design for 3 prosthetic mass conditions and 5 walking speeds. SETTING: University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Eight ambulatory men with unilateral traumatic transtibial amputation. ...

In this study, we examined the effects of music on the dyspnea and anxiety experienced by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) when they are walking. A crossover design was used. Patients walked for 10 minutes without music and for 10 minutes while listening to music. The order of ...

PURPOSE: We tested the suitability of triaxial accelerometry to evaluate walking efficiency in older subjects. METHODS: First, we verified the accuracy to estimate the oxygen consumption rate (.VO2, mL.min-1) from the total impulse (Itotal, N.min-1), the square root of summed accelerations of each direction, during graded walking on a flat ...

The majority of stroke survivors continue to suffer residual functional deficits due to weakness and inadequate motor control of their paretic muscles. Non-invasive functional electrical stimulation has been limited to stimulation of only 1-2 muscle groups. The purpose of this study was to test if the use of a multi-segment ...

The HKB model (H. Haken, J. A. S. Kelso, & H. Bunz, 1985) of coordination has been predominantly applied to upper extremity stationary movements. It predicts increased variability of relative phase before a transition and a decrease after a transition. The authors of the present study extended the intralimb lower ...

PURPOSE: Activity monitoring is considered a highly relevant outcome measure of respiratory rehabilitation. This study aimed to assess the usefulness of a new accelerometric method for characterization of walking activity during a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation program. METHODS: After individual calibration of the accelerometer at different walking speeds, whole-day physical activity ...

Comparative study of the effectiveness of walking exercise with a newly developed gait orthosis, the weight-bearing control (WBC) orthosis, for thoracic level of paraplegic patients. To test its feasibility as a rehabilitation alternative for paraplegic patients, the energy consumption and cost during walking with WBC were calculated and compared with ...

OBJECTIVES: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have an increased risk of falling that has yet to be fully explained. To better understand the gait disturbance in PD and the factors that contribute to falls, we quantitatively evaluated: (1) the relationship between gait variability (a marker of fall risk in other ...

This study quantified the performance variability and effect of rail support on the ankle joint for normal and hemiparetic subjects during treadmill walking. Muscle activities of the anterior tibialis (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) from six hemiparetic patients and 14 healthy subjects were assessed with EMG linear envelope and variance ...

Although the metabolic transition speed for forward exercise has already been determined, the walk-run transition speed for backward exercise has not been investigated before. The aim of this study was to determine the speed at which it becomes metabolically more efficient to run backwards than to walk backwards. Eighteen healthy ...