Using the Arms to Drive the Legs During Walking

University of Houston

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Metabolic Cost of Walking With Arm Swing Assistive Device

Treatments: Device: Arm Swing Driven Assistive Apparatus

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03689647

STUDY00001219

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to understand and compare the metabolic and mechanical demands placed on the body while walking normally and walking with the use of an apparatus that drives leg swing through the use of the arms. This information will help the investigators identify how arm swing mechanics helps minimize energy demands and to use this knowledge to design walking rehabilitation interventions in the future.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 36 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Apparently healthy and free from neurological disease and/or body related injury
• Community-dwelling young men and women 18-36 yrs
• Use and be contacted by telephone
• Speak, read, understand, and complete a questionnaire in English
• Body mass index < 30 kg/m2

Exclusion criteria

• not of the specified age range or Body Mass Index
• inadequate aerobic fitness training
• answering "no" to question #3 on Screening Form ("Is participant in good general health?")
• answering "yes" to:
• question #4 ("any difficulty with mobility?")
• question #5 ("problems with balance/dizziness?")
• question #6 ("lingering symptoms/pain from injury?")
• question #7 ("chest pain/shortness of breath?")
• question #8 ("high blood pressure/hypertension?"), or
• questions #9, 10, 11 ("first degree family history of heart attack?")
• question #12 ("smoke cigarettes?")
• question #13 ("diabetes?")
• question #14 ("high cholesterol?")
• question #15 ("Is participant pregnant?")

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

Single Group Experimental

Experimental group

Description:

Each participant will act as their own control with variables of interest measured while walking without the assistive device and while walking with the assistive device.

Treatment:

Device: Arm Swing Driven Assistive Apparatus