Article

The purpose of this study was to determine whether providing subsensory
stochastic-resonance mechanical vibration to the foot soles of elderly walkers
could decrease gait variability. In a randomized double-blind controlled trial,
29 subjects engaged in treadmill walking while wearing sandals customized with
three actuators capable of producing stochastic-resonance mechanical vibration
embedded in each sole. For each subject, we determined a subsensory level of
vibration stimulation. After a 5-min acclimation period of walking with the
footwear, subjects were asked to walk on the treadmill for six trials, each 30s
long. Trials were pair-wise random: in three trials, actuators provided
subsensory vibration; in the other trials, they did not. Subjects wore reflective
markers to track body motion. Stochastic-resonance mechanical stimulation
exhibited baseline-dependent effects on spatial stride-to-stride variability in
gait, slightly increasing variability in subjects with least baseline variability
and providing greater reductions in variability for subjects with greater
baseline variability (p<.001). Thus, applying stochastic-resonance mechanical
vibrations on the plantar surface of the foot reduces gait variability for
subjects with more variable gait. Stochastic-resonance mechanical vibrations may
provide an effective intervention for preventing falls in healthy elderly
walkers.
CI - Published by Elsevier B.V.

Langue : ANGLAIS