Influences of backpack loading on recovery from anterior and posterior losses of balance: An exploratory investigation.
Appl Ergon
; 117: 104236, 2024 May.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38237306
ABSTRACT
Backpacks are common devices for carrying external posterior loads. However, relatively little is known about how these external loads affect the ability to recover from balance loss. In this exploratory investigation, 16 young adults (8 female, 8 male) performed forward and backward lean-and-release balance recovery trials, while wearing a backpack that was unloaded or loaded (at 15% of individual body weight). We quantified the effects of backpack loading on balance recovery in terms of maximum recoverable lean angles, center-of-mass kinematics, and temporal-spatial stepping characteristics. Mean values of maximum lean angles were 20° and 9° in response to forward and backward perturbations, respectively. These angles significantly decreased when wearing the additional load for only backward losses of balance. During backward losses of balance, the additional load decreased peak center-of-mass velocity and increased acceleration by â¼10 and 18% respectively, which was accompanied by â¼5% faster stepping responses and steps that were â¼9% longer, 11% higher, and had an â¼10% earlier onset. Thus, wearing a backpack decreases backward balance recovery ability and changes backward recovery stepping characteristics.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Postural Balance
/
Acceleration
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
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Male
Language:
En
Journal:
Appl Ergon
/
Appl. ergon
/
Applied ergonomics
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication: