Comprehensive quantitative investigation of arm swing during walking at various speed and surface slope conditions.

Previous studies have shown that inclusion of arm swing in gait rehabilitation leads to more effective walking recovery in patients with walking impairments. However, little is known about the correct arm-swing trajectories to be used in gait rehabilitation given the fact that changes in walking conditions affect arm-swing patterns. In this paper we present a comprehensive look at the effects of a variety of conditions on arm-swing patterns during walking. The results describe the effects of surface slope, walking speed, and physical characteristics on arm-swing patterns in healthy individuals. We propose data-driven mathematical models to describe arm-swing trajectories. Thirty individuals (fifteen females and fifteen males) with a wide range of height (1.58-1.91m) and body mass (49-98kg), participated in our study. Based on their self-selected walking speed, each participant performed walking trials with four speeds on five surface slopes while their whole-body kinematics were recorded. Statistical analysis showed that walking speed, surface slope, and height were the major factors influencing arm swing during locomotion. The results demonstrate that data-driven models can successfully describe arm-swing trajectories for normal gait under varying walking conditions. The findings also provide insight into the behavior of the elbow during walking.

The effect of an active vibration stimulus according to different shoulder joint angles on functional reach and stability of the shoulder joint.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of an active vibration stimulus exercise according to shoulder joint angles on functional reach and stability of the shoulder joint. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty healthy male students participated in this study. Upper limb length of each subject was measured to obtain normalized measurement values. The exercise groups were as follows: group I (n=10, shoulder joint angle of 90°), group II (n=10, shoulder joint angle of 130°), and group III (n=10, shoulder joint angle of 180°). After warm-up, an active vibration stimulus was applied to the subjects with a Flexi-Bar. The Functional Reach Test and Y-balance test were conducted for measurement of shoulder stability. [Results] Analysis of covariance was conducted with values before the intervention as covariates to analyze the differences among the groups in the two tests. There were significant differences among the groups. According to Bonferroni post hoc comparison, group I showed greater improvement than group III in the Functional Reach Test, and group II showed greater improvement than group I and group III in the Y-balance test. [Conclusion] The effect of the exercise with different shoulder joint angles revealed that the shoulder joint has a certain effective joint angle for its functionality and stability. In addition, application of an active vibration stimulus with a Flexi-Bar can be a very effective tool for improvement of functionality and stability of the shoulder joint.