Article

Determination of the walk-to-run transition (WRT) speed is a crucial aspect of
gait transition research, which has been conducted on treadmill as well as overground. Overground WRT-speeds were reported to be higher than on treadmill.
Part of this difference could be related to the lower acceleration magnitudes on
treadmill. In this study, spontaneous WRT overground was compared to WRT at a comparable acceleration on treadmill. In addition, calculation procedures
correcting for movement in the lab reference frame on treadmill were implemented.
As such, this study was, in contrast to previous treadmill studies, able to
detect a speed jump. This speed jump was until now a typical feature of
overground WRT and contributed to the higher transition speed. By incorporating
horizontal movements of the COM, a speed jump was also detected on treadmill.
Yet, treadmill WRT-speed (2.61 ms(-1)) remained lower than overground (2.85
ms(-1)). Nevertheless, this difference was much smaller than assumed in the
literature. The remaining difference could be explained by a larger speed jump
(treadmill: 0.40 ms(-1); overground: 0.51 ms(-1)), and a higher speed at the start of the transition step overground (treadmill: 2.21 ms(-1); overground: 2.34
ms(-1)). In conclusion, even when controlling for effects of acceleration and movement in the lab reference frame a treadmill influence on WRT was visible.
CI - Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS