U.S. flag An official website of the United States government.
Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

i

Slip-Related Muscle Activation Patterns in the Stance Leg During Walking



Details

  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Falls precipitated by slipping are a serious public health concern especially in the elderly. Muscular responses generated during slipping have not been investigated during gait on contaminated floors. This study compared slip-related muscular responses (reactive and proactive) in young and older adults and examined if characteristics of muscular activation patterns during normal gait impact slip severity on contaminated floors. Electromyographic recordings were made from the major shank and thigh muscles in the stance leg of 11 young and nine older adults. Three experimental conditions were included: (1) known dry floors (baseline), (2) unexpected contaminated floor, (3) alert dry (subjects uncertain of the floor's contaminant condition). Muscular responses to unexpected slips, similar in both age groups, included the activation of the Medial Hamstring (approximately 175 ms) followed by the onset of the Vastus Lateralis (approximately 240 ms). The power and duration of responses were scaled to slip severity. The Vastus Lateralis latency was delayed in severe slips. When experiencing a severe slip, young adults demonstrated a longer, more powerful response compared to older adults. Subjects who normally walk with greater ankle muscle co-contraction were predisposed to experience less severe slips when encountering an unexpected slippery floor. Finally, anticipation of a slippery surface resulted in more powerful muscular activity and muscle co-contraction at the ankle and knee compared to baseline gait, as well as earlier onsets and longer durations in the posterior muscles' activation. These findings may provide a greater understanding of the higher incidence of falls in the elderly. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    0966-6362
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    25
  • Issue:
    4
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20032100
  • Citation:
    Gait Posture 2007 Apr; 25(4):565-572
  • Contact Point Address:
    April J. Chambers, Human Movement and Balance Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 740 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
  • Email:
    chambers@engr.pitt.edu
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2007
  • NORA Priority Area:
    Work Environment and Workforce: Special Populations
  • Performing Organization:
    University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    20020501
  • Source Full Name:
    Gait and Posture
  • End Date:
    20050430
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:60c9ea9298a7d194446a70af06beaec62274bde1181dbb9043bf6efafbcc59dc02894b417f56ba519a1e87811eb92c275111dba937c8a890a69a19a057e3503a
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 546.40 KB ]
PREVIOUS
ON THIS PAGE
Details
CDC STACKS serves as an archival repository of CDC-published products including scientific findings, journal articles, guidelines, recommendations, or other public health information authored or co-authored by CDC or funded partners.

As a repository, CDC STACKS retains documents in their original published format to ensure public access to scientific information.
BACK TO TOP