Article

OBJECTIVE: To compare oxygen cost (mL.kg(-1).m(-1)) and cardiovascular response
(beats/m) and oxygen consumption (mL.kg(-1).min(-1)) and heart rate (beats/min)
to stair ascending and descending with walkers, with canes, and without assistive
devices (ADs) in older adults. DESIGN: Descriptive, repeated measures. SETTING:
Indoor stairway. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sample of able-bodied volunteers,
non-AD users (N=14; mean age, 63.71 +/- 11.7 y; mean body mass, 72.7 +/- 14.1 kg;
mean height, 165.7 +/- 9.2 cm). INTERVENTIONS: Participants performed 4
randomized trials of stair ascending and descending at their own self-selected
speed with 3 ADs: single-point cane, standard walker (SW), and wheeled walker
(WW). They also performed unassisted stair ascending and descending. Each trial
consisted of a 5-minute steady-state session followed by a 2-minute data
collection period. Steady-state expired ventilations were collected in Douglas
bags for metabolic analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Oxygen cost
(mL.kg(-1).m(-1)), heart rate (HR) response (beats/m), oxygen consumption
(mL.kg(-1).min(-1)), and HR (beats/min) were compared for each trial of stair
ascending and descending using analysis of variance repeated measures (P<.05).
RESULTS: Greater oxygen cost (per meter) was found for stair ascending and
descending using the single-point cane (121%), SW (217%), and WW (232%) compared
with unassisted stair ascending and descending (P<.05). Increased HR response
(per meter) was found for stair ascending and descending using the single-point
cane (116%), SW (126%), and WW (147%) compared with unassisted stair ascending
and descending (P<.05). However, oxygen consumption (per minute) and HR (per
minute) were not significantly increased during stair ascending and descending
with the ADs compared with unassisted stair ascending and descending.
Participants stair ascended and descended at significantly (P<.05) reduced speeds
during trials with the ADs. CONCLUSIONS: This research should aid clinicians by
providing evidence to base recommendations on regarding AD usage when
encountering stairs during home and community ambulation.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS