Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The aim of this study is to determine the effects of mass load distribution on walking \nenergetics and mechanics. Twelve healthy adults (23 ?? 2 yrs) walked on a treadmill at \n1.25 m/s with no load and an external load (5% of body weight). Loads were placed on \ndifferent locations (foot, shank, thigh, waist, trunk and head) of the body. We determined \nwalking energetics using indirect calorimetry during the last two minutes of each sixminute \ntrial. In addition, walking mechanics were quantified for 10 strides of each trial. A \nmultivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA, p<.05) was used to determine the statistical \ndifferences between load positions on net metabolic power and walking mechanics. \nPlanned contrasts were used to determine the relative effect of upper versus lower body \nloading and no load versus loaded positions. Results showed that vertical load position \nhad a significant effect on net metabolic power during walking (p=.001) but had no \nsignificant effect on spatiotemporal characteristics, stride kinematics, inverted pendulum \nrecovery, or mechanical work (p>.05). Nonetheless, planned comparisons revealed that \nlower body mass loading elicited a significantly greater metabolic cost as compared to \nupper body loading (p=.001) with the greatest metabolic cost resulting from foot loading. \nAlthough vertical load position influences the metabolic cost of walking, it does not affect the mechanics of walking. These results suggest that other factors such as the cost \nof leg swing may explain the greater metabolic cost of lower body loading.
Author: Katlyn Morgan Mannatt
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1719945530