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. 2023 Feb 8:2023:8022635.
doi: 10.1155/2023/8022635. eCollection 2023.

Effect of Load Carriage Lifestyle on Kinematics and Kinetics of Gait

Hsin-Huan Wang  1 , Wei-Chi Tsai  2   3 , Chi-Yao Chang  4 , Min-Hao Hung  5 , Jui-Hung Tu  6 , Ti Wu  1 , Chia-Hsiang Chen  7
Affiliations

Effect of Load Carriage Lifestyle on Kinematics and Kinetics of Gait

Hsin-Huan Wang et al. Appl Bionics Biomech. .

Abstract

Backpacks are commonly worn by many people for multiple purposes. This study investigated the effects of habitual wearing of backpacks on lower limb kinematics and kinetics. Fourteen participants were recruited for analysis. All participants performed four randomly assigned scenarios, including running and walking at speeds of 3.5 and 1.5 m/s, respectively, with and without load carriage. The motion analysis system and force plate were used to investigate the lower limb kinematics and kinetics. A paired sample t-test was performed for statistical measurement with a significance level of α = .05. The results indicated that active force, breaking force, impact peak, loading rate, active peak, maximum braking, hip flexion, and hip range of motion were substantially higher under load carriage conditions than under walking condition, however, time to peak was lower. Conversely, during load carriage running, active force, braking impulse, time to peak, ankle plantarflexion, and ankle range of motion were all higher than those during running. Carrying a backpack weighing 10% of the body weight induced different foot strike patterns at both speeds; during load carriage walking, the hip tended to flex more; whereas, during load carriage running, the ankle tended to flex more. In conclusion, human body seems to adopt different gait strategies during load carriage walking and running. That is, the hip strategy is used during walking, while the ankle strategy is used during running.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Load carriage conditions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gait raw data obtained from the force plate for with load carriage and without load carriage. The x-axis shows the normalized gait cycle in percentage.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Raw data of the hip, knee, ankle joint angles during walking with and without load carriage. The x-axis shows the normalized gait cycle in percentage.  ∗Indicates a significant difference between with and without load carriage (p < .05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Raw data of the hip, knee, ankle joint angles during running with and without load carriage. The x-axis shows the normalized gait cycle in percentage.  ∗Indicates significant difference between with and without load carriage (p < .05).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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