“…The participants in the current study were not given any details about the nature of the perturbations, but we did consider the possibility that performance on Day 2 could be influenced by prior knowledge and experience of the task acquired on Day 1. Even though no measurable changes in gait stability during baseline walking were found in the current study, previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of increased awareness of perturbations on stability recovery performance following trips 72,73 . For the eight perturbations to the left leg, the plateau of recovery steps required for re-stabilisation on Day 1 was quickly improved upon on Day 2 (Figs.…”
Reactive locomotor adaptations are crucial for safe mobility, but remain relatively unexplored. Here we assess reactive gait adaptations, and their retention, savings and interlimb transfer. Using new methods to normalise walking speed and perturbation magnitude, we expose eighteen healthy adults to ten unexpected treadmill belt accelerations during walking (the first and last perturbing the right leg, the others perturbing the left leg) on two days, one month apart. Analysis of the margins of stability using kinematic data reveals that humans reactively adapt gait, improving stability and taking fewer recovery steps, and fully retain these adaptations over time. On re-exposure, retention and savings lead to further improvements in stability. Currently, the role of interlimb transfer is unclear. Our findings show that humans utilise retention and savings in reactive gait adaptations to benefit stability, but that interlimb transfer may not be exclusively responsible for improvements following perturbations to the untrained limb.
“…The participants in the current study were not given any details about the nature of the perturbations, but we did consider the possibility that performance on Day 2 could be influenced by prior knowledge and experience of the task acquired on Day 1. Even though no measurable changes in gait stability during baseline walking were found in the current study, previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of increased awareness of perturbations on stability recovery performance following trips 72,73 . For the eight perturbations to the left leg, the plateau of recovery steps required for re-stabilisation on Day 1 was quickly improved upon on Day 2 (Figs.…”
Reactive locomotor adaptations are crucial for safe mobility, but remain relatively unexplored. Here we assess reactive gait adaptations, and their retention, savings and interlimb transfer. Using new methods to normalise walking speed and perturbation magnitude, we expose eighteen healthy adults to ten unexpected treadmill belt accelerations during walking (the first and last perturbing the right leg, the others perturbing the left leg) on two days, one month apart. Analysis of the margins of stability using kinematic data reveals that humans reactively adapt gait, improving stability and taking fewer recovery steps, and fully retain these adaptations over time. On re-exposure, retention and savings lead to further improvements in stability. Currently, the role of interlimb transfer is unclear. Our findings show that humans utilise retention and savings in reactive gait adaptations to benefit stability, but that interlimb transfer may not be exclusively responsible for improvements following perturbations to the untrained limb.
“…The participants in the current study were not given any details about the nature of the perturbations, but we did consider the possibility that performance on Day 2 could be influenced by prior knowledge and experience of the task acquired on Day 1. Even though no measurable changes in gait stability during baseline walking were found in the current study, previous studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of increased awareness of perturbations on stability recovery performance following trips (Pater et al, 2015, Oludare et al, 2018. For the eight perturbations to the left leg, the plateau of recovery steps required for re-stabilisation on Day 1 was quickly improved upon on Day 2 (Figs.…”
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“…As such, PBT programmes should consider, and possibly monitor and account for, the role and influence of predictive adaptation, since it might reduce the impact of the administered perturbations and reduce generalisation effects (Marigold and Patla, 2002, McCrum et al, 2017b. Indeed, it has been demonstrated that perturbation impact might be significantly reduced if participants are aware they might encounter an unspecified hazard that may perturb their balance (Heiden et al, 2006, Pater et al, 2015, Oludare et al, 2018. Okubo et al (2018) also found that predictive adaptations are less readily observed when perturbation type, location and timing are unpredictable.…”
Section: What Are the Mechanisms For Pbt Improving Fall-resisting Ski...mentioning
Since the mid-2000s, perturbation-based balance training has been gaining interest as an efficient and effective way to prevent falls in older adults. It has been suggested that this task-specific training approach may present a paradigm shift in fall prevention. In this review, we discuss key concepts and common issues and questions regarding perturbation-based balance training. In doing so, we aim to provide a comprehensive synthesis of the current evidence on the mechanisms, feasibility and efficacy of perturbation-based balance training for researchers and practitioners. We address this in two sections: “Principles and Mechanisms” and “Implementation in Practice”. In the first section, definitions, task-specificity, adaptation and retention mechanisms and the dose-response relationship are discussed. In the second section, issues related to safety, anxiety, evidence in clinical populations (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, stroke), technology and training devices are discussed. Perturbation-based balance training is a promising approach to fall prevention. However, several fundamental and applied aspects of the approach need to be further investigated before it can be widely implemented in clinical practice.
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