Alternative Measures of Toe Trajectory More Accurately Predict the Probability of Tripping than Minimum Toe Clearance

Details

• Personal Author:
  Byju AG ; Madigan ML ; Nussbaum MA
• Description:
  Tripping is responsible for a large percentage of falls. Minimum toe clearance (MTC) during the swing phase of gait is commonly used to infer the probability of tripping (POT). However, there is limited empirical evidence to support the relationship between these two variables, and other measures of toe trajectory may better predict POT than MTC. The goals of this study were to: 1) quantify the relationship between MTC and POT; and 2) explore alternative measures of toe trajectory that may predict POT more accurately than MTC. POT was estimated by comparing the distribution of tripping obstacles measured along heavily-used, paved sidewalks on a university campus, to the toe trajectory of 40 young adults obtained while walking over an obstacle-free walkway in a research laboratory. POT exhibited a curvilinear relationship with MTC, and regression equations were established to predict POT from MTC. POT was more accurately predicted when using virtual points on the bottom of the anterior edge of the shoe to determine MTC, compared to using a physical marker located on top of the toes to determine MTC. POT was also more accurately predicted when using a new measure of toe trajectory (the area below 40mm and above the toe trajectory, normalized by the swing length), compared to just MTC. These are the first empirical results supporting a direct, quantitative relationship between MTC and POT. These results may improve the ability to identify risk factors that influence POT, and aid in developing interventions to reduce POT. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Accidents, Occupational Biomechanical Phenomena Environmental Exposure Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Women

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• Keywords:
  Accident Analysis Accident Potential Author Keywords: Biomechanics Biomechanics Exposure Levels Falls Foot Protection Footwear Gait Humans Injuries Locomotion Motion Studies Quantitative Risk Assessment Regression Analysis Risk Factors Slips Slips, Trips, And Falls Statistical Analysis STF Trips Walking Surfaces

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• ISSN:
  0021-9290
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  16
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050787
• Citation:
  J Biomech 2016 Dec; 49(16):4016-4021
• Contact Point Address:
  Michael L. Madigan, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Texas A&M University, 5045 Emerging Technologies Building, College Station, TX 77843-3120
• Email:
  mlm@tamu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20110901
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Biomechanics
• End Date:
  20150831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b5a055df278426ced30263f59247f68659b1402f62c2c196dbb0c3009f65f45dc5b0c92a64a52178b58556d902f27486bbf851bfeda867ccae48fa4dc4d3bdd
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211001/cdc_211001_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.41 MB ]