کد مقاله | کد نشریه | سال انتشار | مقاله انگلیسی | نسخه تمام متن |
---|---|---|---|---|
6207834 | 1265666 | 2012 | 4 صفحه PDF | دانلود رایگان |
![عکس صفحه اول مقاله: Baseline-dependent effect of noise-enhanced insoles on gait variability in healthy elderly walkers Baseline-dependent effect of noise-enhanced insoles on gait variability in healthy elderly walkers](/preview/png/6207834.png)
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 30 s 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.
⺠Applying white-noise stimulation to the soles of the feet can stabilize posture. ⺠This stabilizing effect is greatest for people with most variable posture. ⺠We tested white-noise effects on spatial parameters of gait in elderly walkers. ⺠White-noise stabilized parameters for those walkers with more variable gait. ⺠Insoles applying white noise to the soles of the feet may reduce fall risk.
Journal: Gait & Posture - Volume 36, Issue 3, July 2012, Pages 537-540