Effects of Water Weight-Induced Perturbation on Gait Characteristics
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Date
2025-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Since the mid-2000s, perturbation-based balance training has become a key focus in clinical biomechanics research, particularly for frail older adults and individuals with neurological disorders. These training systems, which involve sudden disruptions like slips and trips, can destabilize participants and create near-fall situations, improving gait and balance. However, the cost and complexity of these systems limit their use in clinical settings. This study aims to investigate whether inexpensive water weight can create destabilizing environments for healthy young adults, serving as an initial step toward developing an effective perturbation-based training tool.
Twelve healthy adults were tasked with walking on a treadmill under three conditions: baseline, static weight (10 lbs. of metal weights), and water weight (10 lbs. of water in Tidal Tank). Results showed a significant difference in stride time (p = 0.0239), with post-hoc analysis revealing a significant difference only between baseline and water weight conditions (p = 0.0186). Variability in gait parameters, including step length, step width, and belt speed, also showed significant differences. Post-hoc analysis indicated significant differences between baseline and static conditions for step length variability (p = 0.0046), as well as between baseline and both static weight and water weight conditions for step width and belt speed variability (p = 0.0264, p = 0.0221, p = 0.0045, p = 0.0019, respectively). However, dynamic stability measured by short-term Lyapunov exponents did not show any significant differences across conditions.
The findings suggest that water weight-induced perturbations primarily affected stride time and gait variability. Water weight perturbations represent a promising, cost-effective method for gait training with potential applications for clinical and home-based therapy, particularly for populations at risk of falls. Further studies with greater challenges and varying participant conditions are recommended to better understand the effects of such perturbations on gait dynamics.
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Keywords
Biomechanics, Gait Analysis, Rehabilitation, Perturbation-Based Training