Effect of Turn Angle and Speed on Segmental Coordination During Walking Turns
Presenter Type
UNO Graduate Student (Masters)
Major/Field of Study
Biomechanics
Other
Biomechanics
Author ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-9045-8802
Advisor Information
Assistant Professor, Biomechanics, University of Nebraska, Omaha
Location
CEC RM #201/205/209
Presentation Type
Poster
Poster Size
36 x 48 in
Start Date
22-3-2024 9:00 AM
End Date
22-3-2024 10:15 AM
Abstract
Almost half of a human's daily steps comprise turning. Typically, turning follows a cranial to caudal coordination of body segments from the head, trunk, and pelvis to reorient the body in a new direction of travel. Segmental coordination is essential for sensory integration as the anticipation of visual or vestibular information from the environment is required for spontaneous or rapid adjustments during turning. In Parkinson's Disease (PD), delays in the relative timing of head-to-trunk coordination occur with respect to the onset of a turn, termed turning en-bloc. Yet, limited studies have examined the maximum angular separation between body segments during turns, which may provide insights into turning impairments due to aging and disease. We aimed to explore segmental coordination during turns using the maximum angular separation between body segments. We used wearable sensors to obtain movement data from 10 healthy older adults (60.2 ± 10.2 years, 8 females) during normal and fast walking speeds for 60°, 90°, and 120° turns. We observed a higher angular separation between the lumbar and the head as the turn angles and walking speed increased. The same trend was observed for the maximum angular separation between the pelvis and the head. In both cases, the head led the segmental coordination into the turn. However, we did not observe such a trend for the pelvis and the sternum, indicating a minimal angular separation between the pelvis and sternum in all turn angles and walking speeds. Our result highlights the role of craniocaudal coordination in integrating sensory information during turning. Without such segmental coordination, individuals may fail to execute appropriate postural responses, which may affect their stability when turning.
Keywords: Human locomotion, falls
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Effect of Turn Angle and Speed on Segmental Coordination During Walking Turns
CEC RM #201/205/209
Almost half of a human's daily steps comprise turning. Typically, turning follows a cranial to caudal coordination of body segments from the head, trunk, and pelvis to reorient the body in a new direction of travel. Segmental coordination is essential for sensory integration as the anticipation of visual or vestibular information from the environment is required for spontaneous or rapid adjustments during turning. In Parkinson's Disease (PD), delays in the relative timing of head-to-trunk coordination occur with respect to the onset of a turn, termed turning en-bloc. Yet, limited studies have examined the maximum angular separation between body segments during turns, which may provide insights into turning impairments due to aging and disease. We aimed to explore segmental coordination during turns using the maximum angular separation between body segments. We used wearable sensors to obtain movement data from 10 healthy older adults (60.2 ± 10.2 years, 8 females) during normal and fast walking speeds for 60°, 90°, and 120° turns. We observed a higher angular separation between the lumbar and the head as the turn angles and walking speed increased. The same trend was observed for the maximum angular separation between the pelvis and the head. In both cases, the head led the segmental coordination into the turn. However, we did not observe such a trend for the pelvis and the sternum, indicating a minimal angular separation between the pelvis and sternum in all turn angles and walking speeds. Our result highlights the role of craniocaudal coordination in integrating sensory information during turning. Without such segmental coordination, individuals may fail to execute appropriate postural responses, which may affect their stability when turning.
Keywords: Human locomotion, falls