The ground reaction forces in the stance phase of gait: a longitudinal study on pregnancy and post-part urn

摘要

The physiological and morphological changes during pregnancy could lead to changes in characteristics of the ground reaction forces (GRFs) in the stance phase of gait. Sixteen healthy pregnant women during the second and third trimester and post-partum were recruited. A force plate was used to measure the GRFs, and spatiotemporal parameters of gait were analysed through three-dimensional motion system. The results showed that the stride length and velocity decreased during the third trimester compared with post-partum. The vertical and anterior-posterior components of GRFs were obviously higher in the third trimester than post-partum. This study shows that pregnant females make adjustments in loading character to keep balance during pregnancy.