Effect of Foot-Ground Clearance during Walking on Acceleration of the Upper Limbs

• Published in: Rigaku ryoho kagaku Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 549 - 552
• Main Authors: TAGUCHI, Yu, KITAGAWA, Kodai, TOYA, Nobuyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Society of Physical Therapy Science 2017
• Subjects: smart device; upper limb; walking analysis
• ISSN: 1341-1667; 2434-2807
• DOI: 10.1589/rika.32.549

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of foot-ground clearance during walking on acceleration of the upper limbs in order to develop a simple walking assistance system using a smart device. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 10 healthy young men. They were asked to walk with “Normal steps” (NS) and “High steps” (HS) on a treadmill, and the acceleration of the forearm was measured using a smartphone. [Results] For eight of the subjects, acceleration of the forearm in HS gait was significantly larger than that of NS gait. [Conclusion] It was found that acceleration of the upper limb tends to increase as foot-ground clearance increases during walking. Therefore, there is a possibility that the relative foot-ground clearance of HS and NS gait by individuals can be discriminated using a smart device attached to an upper limb.