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Category

Methods

Document Type

Paper

Abstract

Inclined treadmills or static ramp constructions can be used to investigate downhill gait in a standardised laboratory condition. However, it is not clear how the different systems affect the gait pattern during downhill walking. Therefore temporo-spatial (Qualisys) and kinetic data (loadsol®) of 13 healthy participants walking with a given speed (1.1 m/s) downhill with a -6° decline on a treadmill and a ramp system were analysed. On the treadmill participants walked with 8% shorter steps and shorter contact times, while they increased step frequency by 6%. Peak resultant forces remained similar compared to walking on a ramp construction. These alterations might be due to mechanical and psychological effects and have to be considered when conducting and analysing research that focuses on downhill gait.

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