• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.129-136
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• 2019

Purpose: This study is a comparison of spatiotemporal parameters between straight and curved walking in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke, investigating whether those patients can adapt their walking according to task demands and environmental changes. Methods: Twenty-eight patients who diagnosed with their first stroke at least six months prior to this study were recruited. They were measured for spatiotemporal parameters in three different walking conditions: straight walking, walking with an inner curve to the more-affected leg, and walking with an inner curve to the less-affected leg. This study also measured secondary clinical factors, such as the timed up-and-go test, the trunk impairment scale, and the dynamic gait index. The statistical methods for the three different walking conditions, using the averaged value of each condition, was repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The difference in cadence was statistically significant when comparing straight walking, walking with an inner curve to the more-affected leg, and walking with an inner curve to the less-affected leg. Swing duration (%) was also a statistically significant difference between straight walking and walking with an inner curve to the more-affected leg. However, differences in other spatiotemporal parameters were not statistically significant among the three conditions. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that stroke survivors could adapt their walking according to straight and curved walking conditions, although cadence and swing duration were different between straight and curved walking groups.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.91-99
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• 2024

Purpose: Backward walking has shown positive effects on gait recovery in rehabilitation patients. It is increasingly used as an aerobic training method in rehabilitation populations, inducing more sensory and motor stimulation than forward walking. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of visual stimulation during backward walking. Methods: Twenty-seven healthy adults with a visual acuity of 0.8 or higher participated in the study. To compare the effects of visual stimulation during various walking conditions among healthy individuals, the participants randomly selected cards numbered one to six and walked a distance of 10 meters. Walking ability was measured using Optogait. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in speed, stride, and percentages of single support and contact phase during backward walking. Within eyes-closed conditions during backward walking, significant differences were found in percentages of single support, terminal stance, and contact phase. Moreover, the percentage of terminal swing significantly differed during backward walking with head turn conditions. Conclusion: Gait parameters such as speed, stride, and percentages of single support and contact phase were higher during backward walking than forward walking. These results indicate that backward walking involves multiple sensory systems and varying conditions.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.35-43
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to compare spatio-temporal parameters during walking between patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and a control group matched for age, height, and weight. Thirty-three subjects were included in this study. Fifteen normal subjects (age, $63.3{\pm}5.8$ yrs; height, $164.1{\pm}8.7$ cm; weight, $60.7{\pm}17.5$ kg) and eighteen patients (age, $64.0{\pm}7.7$ yrs; height, $164.7{\pm}7.3$ cm; weight, $63.6{\pm}7.7$ kg) participated in the study. The Vicon 512 Motion analysis system was used for gait analysis in each group during walking, with and without an obstacle. The measured spatio-temporal parameters were cadence, walking speed, stride time, step time, single limb support time, double limb support time, stride length, and step length. Results in stride length and step length, when walking without an obstacle, showed a significantly greater decrease in the patient group compared to the control group. During walking with an obstacle, the patient group showed a significantly greater decrease in the step length as compared to the control group. For the control group, there were significant decreases in parameters of cadence and walking speed and increases in parameters of stride time, step time, and single limb support time when walking with an obstacle. The patient group had lower cadence and walking speed and higher stride time, step time, and single limb support time during walking with an obstacle than in walking without an obstacle. These results suggest that patients with Parkinson's disease who walk over an obstacle can decrease cadence, stride length, and step length. Further study is needed, performed with more obstacles and combined with other external cues, such as visual or acoustic guides.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.5 no.1 s.15
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• pp.81-89
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• 2005

Walking loads are influenced by various parameters so that they need to be measured considering such parameters. Walking frequency(rate) is experimentally investigated as the most important parameter in determining the walking load expressed with dynamic load factor. This study focuses on the derivation of continuous walking load-time functions at any walking frequency ranging from 1.30Hz to 2.70Hz. Experiments were conducted to obtain time-histories of walking loads at the increment of 0.1Hz, which are decomposed into harmonic loads by the Fourier transformation. The polynomial load-time functions are proposed representing the relationship between harmonic coefficients and walking frequencies, thereby easily formulating walking load-time histories for dynamic load factor with various walking frequencies.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 1992

Gait parameters for the Korean normal adults were compared with sex and age. Time-distance measurements and ground reaction force parameters were studied in relation to walking speed. Regression analysis was performed to establish functional relations between walking speed and various gait parameters. It is found that cardence and stride length varied linearly with walking velocity whereas time of double support was inversely proportional to walking velocity. The amplitude of ground reaction force was increased with increasing velocities of gait due to the greater heel-strike force and toe-off forces associated with these higher velocities. The results of this study can be usefull utilized as basic data to design and evaluate prosthetic devices, and to detect abnormal gait performances.

• Journal of Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.465-472
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• 2009

This paper proposes a multimodal information transformation system that converts the image information to the voice information to provide the sight impaired people with walking area and obstacles, which are extracted by an acquired image from a single CCD camera. Using a chain-code line detection algorithm, the walking area is found from the vanishing point and boundary of a sidewalk on the edge image. And obstacles are detected by Gabor filter of extracting vertical lines on the walking area. The proposed system expresses the voice information of pre-defined sentences, consisting of template words which mean walking area and obstacles. The multi-modal information transformation system serves the useful voice information to the sight impaired that intend to reach their destination. The experiments of the proposed algorithm has been implemented on the indoor and outdoor environments, and verified its superiority to exactly provide walking parameters sentences.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.4 no.4 s.14
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• pp.65-76
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• 2004

Walking loads are usually considered as nodal loads in the finite element vibration analysis of structures subjected to walking loads. Since most of the walking loads act on elements not nodes, the walking loads applied on the elements should be converted to the equivalent nodal walking loads. This paper begins with measuring walking loads by using a force plate equipped with load cells and investigates the characteristics of the walking loads with various walking rates. It is found that the walking loads are more affected by walking rates than other parameters such as pedestrian weight, type of footwear, surface condition of floor etc. The measured walking loads are used as input loads for a finite element model of walking induced vibration. Finally, this paper proposes the equivalent nodal walking loads that are converted from the walking loads acting on elements based on finite element shape functions. And the proposed equivalent walking loads are proved to be applicable for efficient analysis of floor vibration induced by walking loads.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.25-31
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• 2015

PURPOSE: Previous studies have shown that healthy young adults reduced gait velocity during texting or talking while walking. It was reported that increasing number of pedestrian accidents were related to distract the environmental attention. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of texting and texting while listening to music on gait parameters. METHODS: Texting and listening to music while walking were assessed in two dual-task condition using 35 healthy young adults. The outcome measurements were assessed in terms of spatiotemporal gait parameters in three walking conditions, namely, comfortable walking speed, walking while texting, and walking while texting and listening to music. To avoid learning effect, subjects were individually blinded to assessment schedule and space. The changes between the three walking conditions were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: When comparing the two dual-task conditions with the single-task condition, it was found that dual-task interference was increased in almost gait velocity, cadence, stride length, step time, double limb support, and single limb support. In addition, walking while texting and listening to music condition negatively was affected gait speed, stride length, and step time more than the texting only condition. CONCLUSION: Walking while texting and listening to music as well as waling while texting may decrease pedestrian safety when crossing streets by diverting the person's attention away from the street environment.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2013

Objective: This paper analyzes the changes on stride parameters, joint angles, and trajectories of the body parts due to high heels during walking and explains the causal relationship between the changes and high heels. Background: This study aims to indicate the comprehensive gait changes by high heels on the whole body for women wearing high heels and researchers interested in high-heeled walking. Method: The experiment was designed in which two different shoe heel heights were used for walking (1cm, 9.8cm), and twelve women participated in the test. In the experiment, 35 points on the body were tracked to extract the stride parameters, joint angles, and trajectories of the body parts. Results: Double support time increased, but stride length decreased in high-heeled walking. The knee inflexed more at stance phase and the spine rotation became more severe. The trajectories of the pelvis, the trunk and the head presented outstanding fluctuations in the vertical direction. Conclusion: The double support time and the spine rotation were changed to compensate instability by high heels. Reduced range of motion of the ankle joint influenced on the stride length, the knee flexion, and fluctuations of the body parts. Application: This study can provide an insight of the gait changes by high heels through the entire body.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.29-37
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• 2004

Measurements of plantar pressure provide an indication of foot and ankle function during gait and other functional activities because the foot and ankle provide necessary support and flexibility for weight bearing and weight shifting while people are performing these activities. Plantar pressure is being increasingly used in both research and clinical practice to measure the effects of various footwear and physical therapy intervention. The influence of walking speed and ground inclination on plantar pressure parameters However has not been evaluated in detail. So, in this study to determine the effect of changes in walking speed and ground inclination on plantar pressure treadmills with different walking speeds and inclination were used. Plantar pressure parameters were measured with the Parotec system using the walking and running in 20 healthy participants(10 male, 10 female) aged $20{\sim}28$(mean 22.22, S.D.2.26 years) when slow walking and running. The result of this study with increased die walking speed, the peak pressure of 1st, 5th metatarsal head and total contact time and impulse total at the forefoot was affected by walking speed; however, die peak pressure, contact time and impulse total at the forefoot was not affected by ground inclination.