Purpose: Upslope and downslope walking are basic activities necessary for normal daily living in community, and they impose greater joint load on the lower extremities than during level walking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to quantify the resultant and shear forces in the hip and knee joints during slope walking.
Methods: Twelve healthy volunteers were evaluated when walking under level and 10° up- and downslope conditions. Three-dimensional gait analysis was conducted using a 7-camera optoelectronic motion analysis system combined with a force plate to measure ground reactive force. Joint forces in the hip and knee joints were estimated using musculoskeletal model simulation.
Results: Results showed that the resultant hip force was increased significantly to 117.2% and 126.9%, and the resultant knee force was increased to 133.5% and 144.5% in up- and downslope walking, respectively, compared to that of level walking. Furthermore, increased shear force in the hip and knee joints was noted during both slope walking conditions.
Conclusions: This information may be beneficial for therapists advising elderly people or patients with osteoarthrosis on an appropriate gait pattern, gait assistive devices, or orthoses according to their living environment.