Article

Trunk control during gait provides a stable platform for vision and head control.
However, in dual-task gait, cognitive tasks result in increased trunk movements,
reduced gait speed, and increased gait variability.
Manual tasks have been
associated with reduced gait speed, but their effects on trunk movement have not
been fully investigated. Furthermore, the fear of falling (FoF) during dual-task
gait remains relatively unstudied. We aimed to assess trunk movements during
cognitive-task gait (CG) and manual-task gait (MG), and examine the effects of CG
and MG on individuals with and without FoF. The participants were 117 healthy
older adults. We used two triaxial accelerometers: one to record trunk movements
at the L3 spinous process and one at the heel to measure initial contact.
Participants counted backward by one (CG) or carried a ball on a tray (MG), and
we calculated stride time variability and standardized root-mean-square trunk
accelerations in the mediolateral (ML) and anteroposterior (AP) directions. CG
significantly increased lower trunk oscillations in the ML (t=4.9, p<0.001) and
AP directions (t=6.1, p<0.001). Conversely, MG significantly decreased trunk
oscillations in the ML (t=-5.9, p<0.001) and AP directions (t=-8.3, p<0.001). The
difference in trunk oscillations during CG in the ML direction was significantly
larger in subjects with FoF than without FoF (t=2.6, p<0.01). We conclude that
for the tasks we studied, CG and MG have different effects on trunk movement.
Finally, FoF was associated with changes in trunk movement in the ML direction
during CG but not MG.
CI - Copyright (c) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS