Presenter Information

Monica BarajasFollow

Advisor Information

Brian A. Knarr

Location

UNO Criss Library

Presentation Type

Poster

Start Date

1-3-2019 12:30 PM

End Date

1-3-2019 1:45 PM

Abstract

TEMPORAL STEP COORDINATION WHILE WALKING WITH A SINGLE-POINT CANE

Monica Barajas, Russel Buffum, Tyler Hamer, Brian A. Knarr

University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE

Stroke is the primary cause of long-term adult disability in the United States. Some physical limitations that a stroke survivor may encounter are foot drop, unilateral muscle weakness, limited coordination and muscle movement, among other effects that may directly affect gait. To address weakness and poor coordination post-stroke, a cane is commonly used. While a cane can help with balance, coordinating steps with an additional device can prove difficult to learn and may alter natural stepping rhythm. Before considering this in a stroke population, it is important to understand how this rhythm of stepping may change in a healthy population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the variability of step times between normal walking without a cane and walking with a cane in healthy young adults. We hypothesize that the use of a cane may negatively affect the natural stepping pattern. Gait data was obtained from five healthy aduts, with an average age of 27.4 years. Participants completed four 10-minute walking trials on an indoor track with and without a cane and on an outdoor paved sidewalk with and without a cane. Inside the participant’s tennis shoes, foot switch insoles were installed to measure heel strikes. The cane and foot switches were synced to compare the cane’s timing relative to the limbs. Gathered data will allow us to examine the consequences of assistive device use on gait. Future work will focus on continued data collection and analysis.

COinS
 
Mar 1st, 12:30 PM Mar 1st, 1:45 PM

Temporal Step Coordination while Walking with a Single-Point Cane

UNO Criss Library

TEMPORAL STEP COORDINATION WHILE WALKING WITH A SINGLE-POINT CANE

Monica Barajas, Russel Buffum, Tyler Hamer, Brian A. Knarr

University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE

Stroke is the primary cause of long-term adult disability in the United States. Some physical limitations that a stroke survivor may encounter are foot drop, unilateral muscle weakness, limited coordination and muscle movement, among other effects that may directly affect gait. To address weakness and poor coordination post-stroke, a cane is commonly used. While a cane can help with balance, coordinating steps with an additional device can prove difficult to learn and may alter natural stepping rhythm. Before considering this in a stroke population, it is important to understand how this rhythm of stepping may change in a healthy population. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the variability of step times between normal walking without a cane and walking with a cane in healthy young adults. We hypothesize that the use of a cane may negatively affect the natural stepping pattern. Gait data was obtained from five healthy aduts, with an average age of 27.4 years. Participants completed four 10-minute walking trials on an indoor track with and without a cane and on an outdoor paved sidewalk with and without a cane. Inside the participant’s tennis shoes, foot switch insoles were installed to measure heel strikes. The cane and foot switches were synced to compare the cane’s timing relative to the limbs. Gathered data will allow us to examine the consequences of assistive device use on gait. Future work will focus on continued data collection and analysis.