Spring-loaded Shoe Affect Step Characteristics in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Doctoral)
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Other
Biomechanics & Kinesiology
Advisor Information
Sara Myers
Location
CEC RM #230
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
22-3-2024 2:30 PM
End Date
22-3-2024 3:45 PM
Abstract
Intermittent claudication is a common symptom observed in peripheral artery disease (PAD) that causes pain or discomfort in the calf muscle during walking. Shoe pitch and support provided to the ankle joint influence the metabolic demands of the calf muscle during walking. This research aims to evaluate spatiotemporal parameters of gait in patients with PAD when walking with regular, carbon fiber, and spring-loaded shoes. We hypothesized that carbon fiber and spring-loaded assistive shoes would improve gait characteristics by assisting the calf muscles during push off. Eight PAD patients engaged in a progressive treadmill test protocol, at a speed of 2 mph, while wearing regular, carbon fiber, and spring-loaded shoes across three conditions in a randomized order. Outcome measurements, step width, stride length, stride time, cadence, and velocity, were recorded for each condition. A one-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was performed to investigate the effect of footwear on gait outcomes within three conditions. The mean percent difference (%difference) was assessed to compare changes in the mean values of the spring-loaded and carbon fiber conditions to the regular condition. No significant differences were seen in the spatiotemporal parameters across any of the conditions. In the spring-loaded condition, the %difference increased in stride length (10.1%), decreased in cadence (14%) and step width (11.4%), and no relevant threshold differences were observed in stride time or velocity. In the carbon fiber condition, %difference increased in stride length (8.3%), decreased in stride time (3.6%) and cadence (10%), and no relevant threshold differences were observed in step width or velocity. Previous studies have reported that selective footwear is not a solution to improving gait in PAD patients. While the statistical analysis did not provide significant differences, %difference changes in the spring-loaded and carbon fiber conditions were observed. The spring-loaded condition outperformed the carbon fiber condition by increasing stride length and inducing a faster gait. Further improvements were noted with a decrease in step width, indicating values closer to healthy individuals. A greater %difference in cadence is seen in the spring-loaded condition, indicating fewer steps were taken to achieve the same pace. The results of this study indicate that assistive shoes may have limited effectiveness for PAD patients upon immediate use. Furthermore, this study offers insights into potential enhancements in gait for PAD patients following a period of adaptation to assistive shoes.
Spring-loaded Shoe Affect Step Characteristics in Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease
CEC RM #230
Intermittent claudication is a common symptom observed in peripheral artery disease (PAD) that causes pain or discomfort in the calf muscle during walking. Shoe pitch and support provided to the ankle joint influence the metabolic demands of the calf muscle during walking. This research aims to evaluate spatiotemporal parameters of gait in patients with PAD when walking with regular, carbon fiber, and spring-loaded shoes. We hypothesized that carbon fiber and spring-loaded assistive shoes would improve gait characteristics by assisting the calf muscles during push off. Eight PAD patients engaged in a progressive treadmill test protocol, at a speed of 2 mph, while wearing regular, carbon fiber, and spring-loaded shoes across three conditions in a randomized order. Outcome measurements, step width, stride length, stride time, cadence, and velocity, were recorded for each condition. A one-way repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was performed to investigate the effect of footwear on gait outcomes within three conditions. The mean percent difference (%difference) was assessed to compare changes in the mean values of the spring-loaded and carbon fiber conditions to the regular condition. No significant differences were seen in the spatiotemporal parameters across any of the conditions. In the spring-loaded condition, the %difference increased in stride length (10.1%), decreased in cadence (14%) and step width (11.4%), and no relevant threshold differences were observed in stride time or velocity. In the carbon fiber condition, %difference increased in stride length (8.3%), decreased in stride time (3.6%) and cadence (10%), and no relevant threshold differences were observed in step width or velocity. Previous studies have reported that selective footwear is not a solution to improving gait in PAD patients. While the statistical analysis did not provide significant differences, %difference changes in the spring-loaded and carbon fiber conditions were observed. The spring-loaded condition outperformed the carbon fiber condition by increasing stride length and inducing a faster gait. Further improvements were noted with a decrease in step width, indicating values closer to healthy individuals. A greater %difference in cadence is seen in the spring-loaded condition, indicating fewer steps were taken to achieve the same pace. The results of this study indicate that assistive shoes may have limited effectiveness for PAD patients upon immediate use. Furthermore, this study offers insights into potential enhancements in gait for PAD patients following a period of adaptation to assistive shoes.