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Short-term effects of backpack carriage on plantar pressure and gait in schoolchildren
- Source :
- Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology. 25(2)
- Publication Year :
- 2014
-
Abstract
- Purpose To assess the effects of backpack carriage on plantar pressure distributions and spatio-temporal gait parameters among children. Participants Two hundred-eighteen schoolchildren, aged 6–13, and attending primary and secondary schools in the city of Cagliari (Italy). Methods Participants were tested at school, during regular days. A pressure plate and wearable inertial sensors were used to measure plantar pressures and spatio-temporal parameters of gait. Measures were obtained during both quiet standing and walking, and both with and without a backpack. The latter contained those items a child had on the testing day. Results Participants carried a mean mass in their backpacks of 5.2 kg, and more than half had a backpack/body mass ratio higher than 15%. While spatio-temporal gait parameters were not affected by backpack carriage, significant increases (up to 25%) in plantar pressures were found during both static standing and walking, especially in the forefoot. Conclusion Under realistic conditions, the impact of backpack carriage was more evident on foot-ground interaction than on gait features. However, long-term consequences of altered plantar pressure need to be assessed in future work, considering the actual durations typically spent carrying school items.
- Subjects :
- Male
medicine.medical_specialty
Time Factors
Adolescent
Posture
Biophysics
Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
Walking
Upper Extremity
Weight-Bearing
Pressure
Medicine
Humans
Pedobarography
Child
Muscle, Skeletal
Students
Gait
business.industry
Foot
Forefoot
Plantar pressure
Back Muscles
Work (physics)
Backpack
Biomechanical Phenomena
Carriage
Static standing
Physical therapy
Female
Neurology (clinical)
business
human activities
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 18735711
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of electromyography and kinesiology : official journal of the International Society of Electrophysiological Kinesiology
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....2a4c2f956d733027d07a83b678860ebd