Balasukumaran T.1, Olivier B.1, Ntsiea V.1
1University of the Witwatersrand, Physiotherapy, Johannesberg, South Africa
Background: Backward walking (BW) is a common technique employed in the treatment of a variety of knee joint problems.
Purpose: The present study identified the mechanisms of knee joint reaction force and muscle force through backward and forward walking (FW).
Methods: The study involved two healthy participants were recruited from department of physiotherapy. Measurements of spatial-temporal gait parameters were conducted using seven Qualisys system cameras and Bertec instrumented treadmill. Delsys wireless EMG was used to obtain muscle activities. Visual 3d Software was used to build the anthropometric model. OpenSim software was used to compute muscle force and joint reaction force during both types of walking.
Results: During both FW and BW higher quadriceps and gastrocenimus muscle force in fast speed of BW. However, the biceps femoris, tibialis anterior muscles and knee joint reaction force showed lower difference in BW fast speed than FW and other speeds.
Conclusion(s): During fast BW on treadmill represent a knee joint flexion movement were absent but muscle force were higher to strengthen the knee joint muscles at the same time joint reaction force were lower to prevent the knee joint problems. However, the slow and medium speed knee joint reaction was lower to reduced knee joint loading.
Implications: The decrease knee joint range of motion and increase muscle force compared to increase the ankle joint and hip joint range of motion in backward waking.
Funding acknowledgements: The author TB gratefully acknowledges NRF fellowship (grant number 98729) and Wits PMA for the financial support.
Topic: Education: methods of teaching & learning
Ethics approval: This study was approved by the human research ethics committee of the University of the Witwatersrand.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
