Movement analysis of lower limb during backward walking with unstable intervention

摘要

Backward walking (BW), an emerging rehabilitative and training modality, was integrated with unstable sole construction with various hardness levels to analyze the kinematic and kinetic characteristics of the lower extremities. Eighteen participants volunteered to participate in the test. They performed walking tests under three conditions: 1) BW with normal shoes (NBW); 2) BW with unstable shoes with soft unstable elements (UBW-S); 3) BW with unstable shoes with hard unstable elements (UBW-H). The results show increased hip and ankle flexion and increased knee flexion-extension extent in the stance phase during BW with unstable shoes. The motor control mechanism of unstable BW enhanced the rehabilitation of lower limb deficiency. The attached unstable elements (UBW-S and UBW-H) induced local perturbation to stimulate proprioceptive ability and the neuromuscular system, changing the plantar loading distribution in a certain region. Future study should concentrate on the possible rehabilitative effect of unstable BW on neurological disorders and motor system deficiency.