Carry a pack?
Have a LLD or other gait altering condition like a lower limb amputation? Carrying a pack may not necessarily change your center of gravity.
Yes, we were surprised as well…
“There are many scenarios where it becomes necessary to carry a load, and a back pack is often the most realistic option to carry this load. The additional load is thought to lead to changes in kinematics of the persons movement. This hypothesis, however, is not supported by results of this study. Asymmetry in movement did not significantly alter centre of pressure (COP) parameters for an amputee carrying a loaded backpack.”
Abstract
Understanding how load carriage affects walking is important for people with a lower extremity amputation who may use different strategies to accommodate to the additional weight. Nine unilateral traumatic transtibial amputees (K4-level) walked over four surfaces (level-ground, uneven ground, incline, decline) with and without a 24.5 kg backpack. Center of pressure (COP) and total force were analyzed from F-Scan insole pressuresensor data. COP parameters were greater on the intact limb than on the prosthetic limb, which was likely a compensation for the loss of ankle control. Double support time (DST) was greater when walking with a backpack. Although longer DST is often considered a strategy to enhance stability and/or reduce loading forces, changes in DST were only moderately correlated with changes in peak force. High functioning transtibialamputees were able to accommodate to a standard backpack load and to maintain COP progression, even when walking over different surfaces.
Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Appl Ergon. 2016 Jan;52:169-76. doi: 10.1016/j.apergo.2015.07.014. Epub 2015 Jul 31.Center of pressure and total force analyses for amputees walking with a backpack load over four surfaces. Sinitski EH, Herbert-Copley AG, et al
