Article

Gait characteristics during stair descent have been characterized for a straight
descent path; however, pedestrians are likely to encounter a variety of staircase
designs that allow one to descend at an angle (i.e. an oblique or monumental
staircase). The purpose of this study was to determine the temporospatial lower
limb joint kinematics differences between descending a staircase on straight
versus oblique descent paths. Sixteen subjects (8 males, 8 females) descended a
staircase under three different conditions: straight descent and at a 25 degrees
and 45 degrees angle compare to the straight path. Cycle time, cadence, speed,
step width, and step length were significantly affected by descent angle, while
the proportion of the cycle dedicated to the stance and swing phases remained
constant over the descent paths. Peak knee flexion angle increased by
approximately 2.5 degrees in the 45 degrees condition compared to the 0 degrees
condition (p=0.0044); however, the remainder of the time series was unchanged. A
decreased step width and increased step length occurred to allow the foot to
sufficiently clear the steps. Changes in the temporospatial variables, hip joint
angle and a constant stance/swing proportion demonstrates that these adaptations
may be made to maintain characteristics of the gait cycle and prevent subjects
from adopting an unfamiliar gait pattern.
CI - Crown Copyright (c) 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS