Walking Aid Assessment, Arm Strength and Force Under the Foot in Normal Subjects

University of Saskatchewan

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy; Young Adult; Adolescent; Gait; Aged; Middle Age; Physical Examination

Treatments: Other: Normal Foot Force

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05092932

NER32

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will collect biomedical performance data on walking characteristics in normal, healthy people when walking with walking aids and when walking unaided. Data will be used for independent reporting and for comparison to matched people with pathological conditions. Data collected will including walking ability, balance, force under the feet when walking and muscle strength.

Full description

Young adults often tolerate the increased energy expenditure, coordination, and stance limb discomfort associated with walking aids for non-weightbearing ambulation. It is not clear how walking aid selection affects stance limb plantar force, walking speed, perceived exertion, and device preference in adults over 50 years of age..

This project is a prospective randomized crossover study using healthy adults, aged over 50 years, with no use of walking aids within 5 years. Participants will walk 200 m under 4 randomized conditions: single non-weightbearing ambulation using crutches, a walker, a wheeled knee walker, and unaided walking. An in-shoe sensor will measure stance limb plantar force, a stopwatch will be used to time each walk, a hand held dynamometer will measure arm muscle strength, perceived exertion will be reported using the BORG CR-10 scale, and device preference will be identified.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Able bodied individuals self reported good health

Exclusion criteria

• recent fractures history of neurologic disease or events.

Trial design

40 participants in 1 patient group

Normal Control Data

Description:

Normal adults with no history of neuromusculoskeletal disease will be recruited for this study. Participants will be independent walkers (no walking aid needed) and will not have needed a walking aid for injury over the past 5 years. Participants will walk 200 m under 4 randomized conditions: non-weightbearing ambulation using crutches, a walker, a wheeled knee walker, and unaided walking. An in-shoe sensor will measure stance limb plantar force, a stopwatch will time each walk, perceived exertion will be reported using the BORG CR-10 scale, and device preference will be identified.

Treatment:

Other: Normal Foot Force