Placing the trailing foot closer to an obstacle reduces flexion of the hip, knee, and ankle to increase the risk of tripping

Chou, Li-Shan; Draganich, Louis F.

doi:10.1016/s0021-9290(98)00081-5

Cited by 121 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In this study, the preobstacle distance was significantly affected by boot weight, with a 4-cm decrease per 1-kg increase in boot weight when participants crossed the high obstacle. An earlier study reported that placing the trailing foot closer to an obstacle reduces flexion in trailing hip, knee, and ankle and increases the risk of tripping (Chou & Draganich, 1998). The reduced preobstacle distance found in this study indicated that participants tended to place the trailing foot closer to the high obstacle when wearing heavier boots, and such placement increases the risks for (24) 160 (24) 160 (28) 158 (23) 159 (27) 157 (20) 163 (23) 163 ( trail foot contact, as reflected in the reduction of toe clearance and preobstacle distance as well as the increase in number of tripping incidents.…”

Section: Discussion Spatiotemporal Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Boot Weight and Sole Flexibility on Gait and Physiological Responses of Firefighters in Stepping Over Obstacles

et al. 2012

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Objective:The authors investigated the effect of boot weight and sole flexibility on spatiotemporal gait characteristics and physiological responses of firefighters in negotiating obstacles.Background: Falls and overexertion are the leading causes of fire ground injuries and fatalities among firefighters. There have been few in-depth studies conducted to evaluate the risk factors of falls and overexertion associated with firefighter boots.Method: For the study, 13 female and 14 male firefighters, while wearing full turnout clothing and randomly assigned boots, walked for 5 min while stepping over obstacles. The independent variables included boot weight, sole flexibility, gender, and task duration. Spatiotemporal measures of foot trajectories and toe clearance were determined. Minute ventilation, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and heart rate were measured.Results: Increased boot weight was found to significantly reduce trailing toe clearance when crossing the 30-cm obstacle. Significant increases in lateral displacement of the foot were found near the end of the 5-min walk compared with the beginning of the task. Increased boot weight significantly increased oxygen consumption. There were significant decreases in oxygen consumption for more flexible soles.Conclusion: Firefighters were more likely to trip over obstacles when wearing heavier boots and after walking for a period of time. Boot weight affected metabolic variables (5% to 11% increases per 1-kg increase in boot weight), which were mitigated by sole flexibility (5% to 7% decrease for more flexible soles).Application: This study provides useful information for firefighters and boot manufacturers in boot selection and design for reducing falls and overexertion.

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Section: Discussion Spatiotemporal Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Boot Weight and Sole Flexibility on Gait and Physiological Responses of Firefighters in Stepping Over Obstacles

et al. 2012

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“…Changes in CV COM according to task negotiation constraints have been presented previously. Specifically, Chou and Dragonich (1998b) reported that vertical COM velocity during obstacle crossing decreased as obstacle height increased. In particular, individuals crossed tall (15% of body height) obstacles with a slower vertical COM velocity than when crossing short (2.5% of body height) obstacles.…”

Section: Does Postural Threat Influence Crossing Kinematics?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Obstacle negotiation kinematics: age-dependent effects of postural threat

McKenzie

Brown

2004

Gait & Posture

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DEDICATIONI dedicate this thesis to my Poppa, John Joseph Lacey. You have taught me the meaning of dignity.iii ABSTRACTThe effects of postural threat and the potential consequences of obstacle contact on the obstacle negotiation kinematics among younger and older adults were examined. Seventeen older (OA; 7 males, 10 females; mean age, 68.94 ± 4.85) and fifteen younger adults (YA; 5 males, 10 females; mean age, 22.53 ± 2.77) negotiated virtual and real obstacles while walking at a self-determined velocity along a 7.2m walkway under 4 different conditions of postural threat. Postural threat was manipulated by varying the width (0.60m versus 0.15m) and height (floor versus elevated (0.00m versus 0.60m)) of the walkway. Postural threat altered crossing kinematics for all subjects. Specifically, age-related differences emerged with increasing postural threat, however die changes observed among older adults were considerably different from those of younger adults. Additionally, there was an effect for the potential consequences of obstacle contact, however, no age-related differences emerged. These results revealed an effect for postural threat and obstacle characteristics on the negotiation strategies of younger and older adults. Both postural threat and obstacle characteristics elicit conservative crossing kinematics in younger and older adults. Specifically, these findings illustrate age-dependent differences in obstacle negotiation strategies and that postural threat affects older adults differently than younger adults whereas the potential consequences of obstacle contact affects younger and older adults equally. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSWe did it! This thesis would not have been possible without die support of my family and friends. I would like to show my appreciation to everyone who encouraged and stood by me during the creation of this thesis.

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“…In attempts to minimize the impact of inter-trial variability, studies of obstructed gait in unimpaired populations have often used block test protocols with data averaged across multiple trials [7][8][9][10]. Moreover, in order to reduce the number of trials performed by subjects, these studies have generally designated one limb (e.g., the right or dominant) to cross the obstacle first (defined as the lead limb).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Obstacle crossing performance does not differ between the first and subsequent attempts in people with stroke

2009

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Placing the trailing foot closer to an obstacle reduces flexion of the hip, knee, and ankle to increase the risk of tripping

Cited by 121 publications

References 20 publications

Effect of Boot Weight and Sole Flexibility on Gait and Physiological Responses of Firefighters in Stepping Over Obstacles

Effect of Boot Weight and Sole Flexibility on Gait and Physiological Responses of Firefighters in Stepping Over Obstacles

Obstacle negotiation kinematics: age-dependent effects of postural threat

Obstacle crossing performance does not differ between the first and subsequent attempts in people with stroke

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