Effects of cognitive and physical loads on local dynamic stability during gait

The objective of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of cognitive and physical loads on soldiers' gait characteristics. Twelve young healthy male participants volunteered to take part in the study. They were instructed to walk on the treadmill at their comfortable speed u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied ergonomics 2013-05, Vol.44 (3), p.455-458
Main Author: Qu, Xingda
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Applied physiology
Backpacks
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive ability
Cognitive load
Ergonomics
Ergonomics. Work place. Occupational physiology
Gait - physiology
Gait characteristics
Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology
Humans
Load
Load carriage
Local dynamic stability
Male
Medical sciences
Military Personnel
Military training
Postural Balance - physiology
Weight-Bearing - physiology
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Summary:The objective of this study was to examine the main and interactive effects of cognitive and physical loads on soldiers' gait characteristics. Twelve young healthy male participants volunteered to take part in the study. They were instructed to walk on the treadmill at their comfortable speed under different combinations of physical and cognitive loads. The physical load was applied by carrying backpack load that was set at 0 kg, 8.5 kg, and 20 kg, respectively. The cognitive task was to speak out the name of the months in a reverse order as accurately as possible, starting from any random month specified by the experimenter. Gait characteristics were assessed using local dynamic stability measures. Only physical load had significant effects on local dynamic stability. No interactive effects between cognitive and physical loads were found. The findings from this study can aid in better understanding gait characteristics of load-carrying soldiers. In addition, practical implications can also be derived from the results of this study. For instance, in order to prevent unnecessary fall accidents in military training and combat, measures should be taken to reduce the backpack load for soldiers. ► We examined the combined effects of cognitive and physical loads on local dynamic stability during gait. ► Only physical load had significant effects on local dynamic stability. ► No interactive effects between cognitive and physical loads were found.
ISSN:0003-6870
1872-9126
DOI:10.1016/j.apergo.2012.10.018