Effects of age and locomotor demand on foot mechanics during walking.

Autor: Krupenevich RL; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: rlkrup@email.unc.edu., Clark WH; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, USA., Ray SF; Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA., Takahashi KZ; Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA., Kashefsky HE; Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA., Franz JR; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of biomechanics [J Biomech] 2021 Jun 23; Vol. 123, pp. 110499. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 May 07.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110499
Abstrakt: Older adults exhibit reductions in push-off power that are often attributed to deficits in plantarflexor force-generating capacity. However, growing evidence suggests that the foot may also contribute to push-off power during walking. Thus, age-related changes in foot structure and function may contribute to altered foot mechanics and ultimately reduced push-off power. The purpose of this paper was to quantify age-related differences in foot mechanical work during walking across a range of speeds and at a single fixed speed with varied demands for push-off power. 9 young and 10 older adults walked at 1.0, 1.2, and 1.4 m/s, and at 1.2 m/s with an aiding or impeding horizontal pulling force equal to 5% BW. We calculated foot work in Visual3D using a unified deformable foot model, accounting for contributions of structures distal to the hindfoot's center-of-mass. Older adults walked while performing less positive foot work and more negative net foot work (p < 0.05). Further, we found that the effect of age on mechanical work performed by the foot and the ankle-foot complex increased with increased locomotor demand (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that during walking, age-related differences in foot mechanics may contribute to reduced push-off intensity via greater energy loss from distal foot structures, particularly during walking tasks with a greater demand for foot power generation. These findings are the first step in understanding the role of the foot in push-off power deficits in older adults and may serve as a roadmap for developing future low-cost mobility interventions.
(Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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