| Popis: |
Prior research has demonstrated the impact of flooring surfaces on tibial shock magnitudes and the relationships between tibial shock values and lower extremity discomfort. Although carpets possess desirable acoustic and insulation properties, possible biomechanical advantages, in terms of tibial shock attenuations when walking on carpets with varied padding thickness, have not been documented. This study aimed at quantifying tibial shock exposures as 31 volunteers walked on four carpeted surfaces with foam pad thicknesses of 0, 1.9, 3.2 and 7.9 mm, as compared to a concrete surface. For each flooring condition, participants walked at three different paces ; 65 (slow), 90 (normal) and 115 (fast) steps/min using two types of footwear. Data were collected using single axis accelerometers attached to the midpoint of the anterio-lateral surface of the shin. A three-way repeated measures ANOVA found that increasing carpet padding thickness significantly reduced tibial shock magnitudes, but the degree of padding required was dependent on the walking pace. Moreover, 0 mm padded carpet provided no significant attenuations in tibial shock relative to the concrete floor. Interaction effects indicated that participants wearing dress shoes experienced lower tibial shock than participants wearing flat shoes and these effects became larger at a faster walking pace or with less carpet padding. |
