Title
A single session of perturbation-based gait training with the A-TPAD improves dynamic stability in healthy young subjects
Abstract
Gait and balance disorders are among the most common causes of falls in older adults. Most falls occur as a result of unexpected hazards while walking. In order to improve the effectiveness of current fall-prevention programs, new balance training paradigms aim to strengthen the control of the compensatory responses required after external perturbations. The aim of this study was to analyze the adaptions of reactive and proactive strategies to control stability after repeated exposures to waist-pull perturbations delivered while walking. Eight healthy young subjects participated in a single training session with the Active Tethered Pelvic assisted Device (A-TPAD). Participants were exposed to repeated multi-directional perturbations of increasing intensity. The Antero-Posterior (AP) and Medio-Lateral (ML) Base of Support (BoS) and Margin of Stability (MoS) during the response to diagonal perturbations were compared before and after the training. Results showed that participants adapted both the reactive and proactive strategies to control walking balance by significantly increasing their pre- and post-perturbation stability. The changes were principally accounted for by an increment of the AP BoS and MoS and a reduction of ML BoS. This improved their ability to react to a diagonal perturbation. We envision that this system can be used to develop a perturbation-based gait training aimed at improving balance and control of stability during walking, thus reducing fall risk.
Year
DOI
Venue
2017
10.1109/ICORR.2017.8009294
2017 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)
Keywords
Field
DocType
Accidental Falls,Adult,Equipment Design,Exercise Therapy,Female,Gait,Humans,Male,Postural Balance,Task Performance and Analysis,Walking
Walking balance,Gait training,Gait,Simulation,Postural Balance,Exercise therapy,Balance disorders,Fall risk,Physical medicine and rehabilitation,Medicine,Falls in older adults
Conference
Volume
ISSN
ISBN
2017
1945-7898
978-1-5386-2297-1
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
0
0.34
1
Authors
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Dario Martelli163.07
Jiyeon Kang232.28
Sunil K. Agrawal326957.02