Characterization of speed adaptation while walking on an omnidirectional treadmill
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RESEARCH
Characterization of speed adaptation while walking on an omnidirectional treadmill Smit Soni1,2 and Anouk Lamontagne1,2*
Abstract Background: Conventional treadmills are widely used for gait retraining in rehabilitation setting. Their usefulness for training more complex locomotor tasks, however, remains limited given that they do not allow changing the speed nor the direction of walking which are essential walking adaptations for efficient and safe community ambulation. These drawbacks can be addressed by using a self-pace omnidirectional treadmill, as those recently developed by the gaming industry, which allows speed changes and locomotor movements in any direction. The extent to which these treadmills yield a walking pattern that is similar to overground walking, however, is yet to be determined. Methods: The objective of this study was to compare spatiotemporal parameters, body kinematics and lower limb muscle activation of healthy young individuals walking at different speeds (slow, comfortable, fast) on a low-cost nonmotorized omnidirectional treadmill with and without virtual reality (VR) vs. overground. Results: Results obtained from 12 young healthy individuals (18–29 years) showed that participants achieved slower speed on the treadmill compared to overground. On the treadmill, faster walking speeds were achieved by a mere increase in cadence, as opposed to a combined increase in cadence and step length when walking overground. At matched speed, enhanced stance phase knee flexion, reduced late stance ankle plantarflexion, as well as enhanced activation amplitudes of hip extensors in late stance and hip extensors in early swing were observed. The addition of VR to treadmill walking had little or no effect of walking outcomes. Collectively, results show that the omnidirectional treadmill yields a different walking pattern and lead to different adaptations to speed compared to overground walking. We suggest that these alterations are mainly driven by the reduced shear forces between the weight bearing foot and supporting surface and a perceived threat to balance on the omnidirectional treadmill. Conclusion: Since such treadmills are likely to be used for prolonged periods of time by gamers or patients undergoing physical rehabilitation, further research should aim at determining the impact of repeated exposure on gait biomechanics and lower limb musculoskeletal integrity. Keywords: Gait, Locomotion, Kinematics, Electromyography, Virtual reality Background Walking is essential to the completion of many activities of daily living [32] and has been identified as an important determinant of participation [8], quality of life [26] and health [12]. For these reasons, there is abundant *Correspondence: [email protected] 2 School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, 3654 prom Sir‑William‑Osler, Montreal H3G 1Y5, Canada Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
research that describes the characteristics of walking, primarily leve
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