Background: Various types of footwear fixation can dramatically alter gait characteristics, and could potentially contribute to an increased risk of falls in the elderly. However, no studies have been conducted to analyze the effects of footwear fixation on joint angle variabilities, particularly during the entire gait cycle.
Research question: Does the fixation of footwear significantly affect the lower limb joint angle variabilities during the gait cycle?
Methods: Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted on 20 healthy adults using 3D spatio-temporal data of the pelvis and lower limb joint angle that were collected during the entire gait cycle with the footwear in various conditions (well-fixated footwear, less-fixated footwear, slippers, and bare feet). Kinematic waveforms were reconstructed from the PCA data, which were used to determine the distinct differences in joint angle variabilities between footwear conditions.
Results: The results showed large variability in the knee- and ankle-joint angles on the sagittal plane when walking in the loose condition (less-fixated footwear, slippers, and bare feet) compared with those in the well-fixated footwear condition.
Significance: These results demonstrate the effect of footwear fixation on the joint angle variabilities of the elderly while walking. The increase in the knee- and ankle-joint angle variabilities when walking with less-fixated footwear could be a risk factor for falls.
Keywords: Elderly; Footwear; Gait; Joint angle variability; Principal component analysis.
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