The stride interval of typical human gait is correlated over thousands of strides. This statistical persistence diminishes with age, disease, and pace-constrained walking. Considering the widespread use of treadmills in rehabilitation and research, it is important to understand the effect of this speed-constrained locomotor modality on stride interval dynamics. To this end, and given that the dynamics of children have been largely unexplored, this study investigated the impact of treadmill walking, both with and without handrail use, on paediatric stride interval dynamics. An initial stationarity analysis of stride interval time series identified both non-stationary and stationary signals during all walking conditions. Subsequent scaling analysis revealed diminished stride interval persistence during unsupported treadmill walking compared to overground walking. Finally, while the correlation between stride interval dynamics and gross energy expenditure was investigated in an effort to elucidate the clinical meaning of persistence, no simple linear correlation was found.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/25701 |
| Date | 03 January 2011 |
| Creators | Fairley, Jillian Audrey |
| Contributors | Chau, Tom |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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