School of Kinesiology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 13;13(1):6056. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32948-z.
Mediolateral stability during walking requires active control and is complex. Step width, a proxy for stability, follows a curvilinear relationship as gait speeds increase. However, despite the complexity of maintenance for stability, no study has yet investigated the variation across individuals of the relationship between speed and step width. The purpose of this study was to determine if variation between adults affects the estimation of the relationship between speed and step width. Participants walked on a pressurized walkway 72 times. Gait speed and step width were measured within each trial. Mixed effects models assessed the relationship between gait speed and step width, and the variability in the relationship across participants. The relationship between speed and step width followed a reverse J-curve on average, but the relationship was moderated by participants' preferred speed. Step width response as speed increases is not homogenous in adults. This finding suggests that "appropriate" stability moderation (tested across a range of speeds) differs as a function of an individual's preferred speed. Mediolateral stability is complex, and further research to elucidate individual factors contributing to variation is needed.
在行走过程中，横向稳定性需要主动控制，且较为复杂。步宽是稳定性的一个指标，其随步行速度的增加呈曲线关系。然而，尽管稳定性的维持较为复杂，但尚无研究调查过个体之间速度与步宽之间关系的变化。本研究旨在确定成年人之间的差异是否会影响对速度与步宽之间关系的估计。参与者在压力式步道上行走了 72 次。在每次试验中都测量了步态速度和步宽。混合效应模型评估了步态速度与步宽之间的关系，以及参与者之间关系的可变性。平均而言，速度与步宽之间的关系呈反 J 形曲线，但该关系受到参与者偏爱的速度的调节。随着速度的增加，步宽的响应并不均匀，成年人中存在这种情况。这一发现表明，“适当”的稳定性调节（在一系列速度下进行测试）因个体的偏速度而异。横向稳定性较为复杂，需要进一步研究以阐明影响个体差异的因素。
