Dataset Information

Altering Compliance of a Load Carriage Device in the Medial-Lateral Direction Reduces Peak Forces While Walking.

ABSTRACT: Altering mechanical compliance in load carriage structures has shown to reduce metabolic cost and accelerative forces of carrying weight. Currently, modifications to load carriage structures have been primarily targeted at vertical motion of the carried mass. No study to date has investigated altering load carriage compliance in the medial-lateral direction. We developed a backpack specifically for allowing a carried mass to oscillate in the horizontal direction, giving us the unique opportunity to understand the effects of lateral mass motion on human gait. Previous modelling work has shown that walking economy can be improved through the interaction of a bipedal model with a laterally oscillating walking surface. To test whether a laterally oscillating mass can experimentally improve walking economy, we systematically varied step width above and below the preferred level and compared the effects of carrying an oscillating and fixed mass. Walking with an oscillating mass was found to reduce the accelerative forces of load carriage in both horizontal and vertical directions. However, load eccentricity caused the vertical force component to create a significant bending moment in the frontal plane. Walking with an oscillating mass led to an increase in the metabolic energy expenditure during walking and an increase in positive hip work during stance. The device's ability to reduce forces experienced by the user, due to load carriage, holds promise. However, the requirement of additional metabolic energy to walk with the device requires future study to improve.

SUBMITTER: Martin JP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6137106 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Altering Compliance of a Load Carriage Device in the Medial-Lateral Direction Reduces Peak Forces While Walking.

Martin Jean-Paul JP Li Qingguo Q

Scientific reports 20180913 1

Altering mechanical compliance in load carriage structures has shown to reduce metabolic cost and accelerative forces of carrying weight. Currently, modifications to load carriage structures have been primarily targeted at vertical motion of the carried mass. No study to date has investigated altering load carriage compliance in the medial-lateral direction. We developed a backpack specifically for allowing a carried mass to oscillate in the horizontal direction, giving us the unique opportunity ...[more]

PMID: 30214050

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Project description:Discomfort during load carriage is a major issue for activities using backpacks (e.g. infantry maneuvers, children carrying school supplies, or outdoor sports). It is currently unclear which mechanical parameters are responsible for subjectively perceived discomfort. The aim of this study was to identify objectively measured mechanical predictors of discomfort during load carriage. We compared twelve different configurations of a typical load carriage system, a commercially available backpack with a hip belt. The pressure distribution under the hip belt and the shoulder strap, as well as the tensile force in the strap and the relative motion of the backpack were measured. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to investigate possible predictors of discomfort. The results demonstrate that static peak pressure, or alternatively, static strap force is a significant (p<0.001) predictor of discomfort during load carriage in the shoulder and hip region, accounting for 85% or more of the variation in discomfort. As an additional finding, we discovered that the regression coefficients of these predictors are significantly smaller for the hip than for the shoulder region. As static peak pressure is measured directly on the body, it is less dependent on the type of load carriage system than static strap force. Therefore, static peak pressure is well suited as a generally applicable, objective mechanical parameter for the optimization of load carriage system design. Alternatively, when limited to load carriage systems of the type backpack with hip belt, static strap force is the most valuable predictor of discomfort. The regionally differing regression coefficients of both predictors imply that the hip region is significantly more tolerant than the shoulder region. In order to minimize discomfort, users should be encouraged to shift load from the shoulders to the hip region wherever possible, at the same time likely decreasing the risk of low back pain or injury.

Dataset Information

Altering Compliance of a Load Carriage Device in the Medial-Lateral Direction Reduces Peak Forces While Walking.

Publications

Altering Compliance of a Load Carriage Device in the Medial-Lateral Direction Reduces Peak Forces While Walking.

Similar Datasets

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