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THE INFLUENCE OF PROLONGED STANDING ON TEMPORAL-SPATIAL GAIT CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Ellie Mueller1, Gary Austin2, Abigail Schmitt2 and Kaitlin Gallagher2

1New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, NY

2University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

PURPOSE: Prolonged standing can induce physical pain in healthy adults with no previous history of injury; however, it is unclear whether activities of daily living, such as walking, are affected immediately after prolonged standing. This study assessed how realistic fatigue due to prolonged standing influences gait characteristics in individuals 18-40 years. METHODS: A markerless 3-dimensional motion capture system was used to measure walking at a self-selected speed of 13 participants (three male, ten female) before and after 75 minutes of standing. The participants completed six walking trials along a 30 m hallway before and after standing, and the trials were compiled to determine pre and post-standing gait characteristics (Table 1). Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess differences between the pre-and post-standing trials for gait variables, with significance set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Average cycle time, average stride length, and speed significantly differed before and after prolonged standing (Table 1). Average cycle time increased, while average step length and speed decreased after prolonged standing. There were no significant differences in step width or standard deviations for all variables. CONCLUSION: The gait characteristics after prolonged standing were similar to those in young adults who have undergone isokinetic knee flexion/extension fatigue protocol. These changes may be attributed to fatiguing slow-twitch stabilizer muscle groups or decreased joint range of motion. Future work will examine pain symptom reporting during standing and joint angles to examine the fundamental changes to gait after prolonged standing.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: A University of Arkansas Honors College Research Grant and an Arkansas Department of Higher Education Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship supported this project.

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