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Plantar fasciitis causes pain in the heel and medial arch of the foot can interfere daily activities. Taping the plantar fasciitis will reduce pain by reducing strain on the plantar fascia during standing and ambulation. Objective: to see the effect of taping on pain and walking speed. Methods: fifteen subjects received taping and ultrasound diathermy therapy for one week. Fifteen other subjects received ultrasound therapy alone. Pain measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the walking speed is measured in meters / sec. Results: VAS score started to differ significantly on the first day after treatment (p = 0.008) and continues until the last day of evaluation. On the first day, the VAS score changes differs significantly (p = 0.002). But in the evaluation of the days, the change of VAS scores were not significantly different. VAS score changes on the seventh day compared to the initial evaluation found significant (p

Elderly people are the most vulnerable group in urban traffic and a large proportion of them are as pedestrians victims of traffic accidents. The majority of these happen while crossing the road. Crossing a busy road at an intersection with traffic lights or without them is a typical dual task condition requiring a motor task i.e. walking and a cognitive task such as monitoring traffic. The purpose of present study was to compare the walking speed and the related spatio-temporal gait variables of fallers and non-fallers in three walking conditions against the speeds required by regulations in Slovenia for safe street crossing. To assess the spatio-temporal characteristics of gait we used a 7m instrumented walkway.The general results showed that the spatio-temporal gait parameters did not differ between the two groups at the self-selected speed. But as soon as a constraint, such as fast walking speed, was imposed on the subjects the differences between the groups became evident. Fallers demonstrated a significantly slower mean gait velocity and shorter stride length while the cadence and the base of support did not differ between the two groups. In dual task conditions the difference between the two groups reached 25 percent. The fallers group gait velocity dropped to 0.99 m/s. The observed walking speed was slower than considered by the guidelines for the design of traffic light equipped road crossing.In conclusion, the results of walking speed under dual task conditions could be a useful parameter for planning of optimal pedestrian crossing in urban areas. These results will serve for the design of a population based study in Ljubljana.

1. The relation of oxygen intake and walking speed has been investigated in a sixty-two-year-old patient before and after unilateral hip replacement for osteoarthritis. 2. Before operation walking speed was reduced to three to five kilometres per hour and stride length to 73 centimetres. Oxygen intake was 0·9-l·2 litres per minute and net energy cost 49 kilocalories per kilometre. 3. Nine months after operation the patient could walk at up to 8 kilometres per hour with a stride of 115 centimetres, oxygen intake of 2·4 litres per minute and net energy cost of 34 kilocalories per kilometre. Most of this improvement took place within three months of operation. 4. The oxygen intake of walking at ordinary speeds after full recovery was comparable with that of control subjects aged twenty-seven to twenty-nine years. In very fast walking, however, the oxygen intake was higher than that of the controls, whose oxygen intake was 1·95 litres per minute at 8 kilometres per hour. 5. The use of a stick or crutches did not reduce the oxygen intake in slow walking. However, crutches enabled the subject to walk at over 8 kilometres per hour with oxygen intake of 2·4 litres per minute (85 per cent of maximum oxygen intake).

The merits of the laddermill as an ergometer for measuring man's major physiological responses to work are presented, together with a literature-based summary of other commonly used ergometers. The paper shows that the relationships between oxygen uptake, work rate, pulmonary ventilation, and heart rate can be described in simple linear equations. The linear relationship between the oxygen uptake (energy expenditure) and the work rate for ladder-climbing, cycling, cranking, and running are presented and the more complicated relationship of oxygen uptake to walking speed is discussed. In addition, the linear relationships of oxygen uptake to ventilation and to heart rate are given for arms and legs at submaximal and maximal work levels. The work efficiency for each ergometer is analyzed on the basis of the coefficient of regression of the oxygen uptake on the work load. The limitations of the ergometers in achieving maximal aerobic capacity are considered in the light of reported electromyographic evidence. The relatively intensive or extended periods of muscle contractions apparent during cycling and stool-stepping support the view that ischemic muscle contraction might be the cause for the lower maximal value obtained on these ergometers as compared to that obtained on a treadmill.

The present study was so designed to investigate the intensity of physical load of walking through a crowd from the aspect of energy consumption. 3 young male subjects were asked to walk at various speeds (30-100m/min) through crowds of different densities of passers-by (0.75-1.69persons/m2), and then the Relative Metabolic Rate (R. M. R.) was measured for each subject and condition. As the basis of comparison R. M. R. was also measured in case each subject walked in manless region.The main findings were as follows:1. The R. M. R. of walking in the same direction of the stream of the crowd was larger than that of walking alone in the manless region, even if the subject walked along at the same speed of the crowd. The increment of R. M. R. value was proved roughly proportional to the cube of the density of the crowd.2. In case of walking at faster speed than the crowd, R. M. R. became much larger than in case of walking at the same speed. The increment of R. M. R. value was approximately in porportion to the square of the subject's walking speed relative to that of the crowd and the cube of the density of the crowd.

The effects of amputating parts of legs on walking in the cockroach Periplaneta americana were studied with the aid of high-speed motion pictures. Amputation of one or two legs at the femoro-tibial joint, leaving the femur to touch the ground and thus provide support during walking, had very little effect on the timing of movements of ipsilateral or contralateral leg pairs, so that gait was constant at nearly all speeds of locomotion. The cycle of forward (protraction) and rearward (retraction) movements of individual legs was also little affected by the amputations. Amputation of combinations of two legs at the trochantero-femoral joint, leaving the animal without the support of the amputated legs, had no effect on the timing of movements of contralateral leg pairs, but had a strong effect on timing between ipsilateral ones, such that gait changed as a function of the speed of locomotion. Except for a general depression in most cases, the ratio of protraction to retraction for each leg at any given walking speed was unchanged. On the basis of these results it is suggested that the timing of leg movements is strongly influenced by feedback from peripheral receptors, while the cycle of protraction and retraction in each leg is largely under central control. A model of this control based on sinusoidal activation and inhibition of muscles of protraction and retraction is presented and discussed.

Objective: to evaluate walking performance in female with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) with the 400-meters walk test (400-MWT) compared to healthy individuals.Methods: two groups of female subjects with DM2 and healthy individuals were matched by the age. The 400-MWT parameters to be compared were walking speed (WS) and predicted maximum oxygenconsumption (pVO2max). Baseline examination included body mass index (BMI), random blood glucose (RBG), and ankle-brachial index (ABI). All subjects performed 2 minutes warm up before thetest. Heart rate (HR) was recorded every 30 seconds, and blood pressure (BP) was measured before warm up and within 60 seconds after test. The test was performed twice on a different day.Results: Nineteen subjects on each group participated in the study. The mean WS was significantly different (p

1. The patterns of leg movements during normal straight-line walking of the locust Schistocerca gregaria and the grasshopper Romalea microptera were recorded and analysed. 2. The ratio of protraction to retraction increased with walking speed except in the prothoracic legs. At any one speed both protraction and retraction durations were variable but the variation was greatest for protraction. 3. The locust employed an alternating tripod gait at all walking speeds recorded (2-8 steps/sec.) It displayed a high level of variability in its leg movements which appeared to be held in check by stabilising mechanisms operating on the first and last leg pairs. 4. The movements of individual legs of the grasshopper were very similar to those of the locust but the gait used was not alternating tripod. 5. Comparisons were made with other insects and it was suggested that the specialization of the metathoracic legs in the locust gave rise to most of the variability in leg movements and that the relative independence of the prothoracic legs reflects an exploratory role in walking.

Untrained women took part in 30 min of physical training 3 times a week for 6 weeks. One group trained on bicycle ergometers and a second group by walking. The work load and walking speed corresponded to 50–60% of the individual maximal aerobic power. The first group achieved a significant 6% increase in maximal oxygen uptake and a drop in heart rate at submaximal levels of 5–10 beats/min. The second group had no significant increase in maximal oxygen uptake and a minor drop in heart rate. The difference in results is probably due to the make-up of the groups.

A method for estimating the size of an area served by a civil defense shelter as a function of building types is developed, walking speeds, warning and reaction times, and percentage of population to be protected are estimated, queuing at shelter entrances is evaluated. The results obtained are applied to the metropolitan area of Washington, D.C.

Translational motion at different levels of the head and trunk in normal human subjects was measured in three dimensions at different walking speeds. Both acceleration and displacement were directly recorded in two separate experiments. Characteristic patterns of motion were observed and are related to the basic mechanics of human locomotion.

This dissertation is one of the human scales about the curvature of footpath connected with the previous report.(2) In this paper, we try to clear the pattern of footpath relating to human scales. Here we have various examples of footmarks which were surveyed at a seashore as in Fig. 1-5. From these materials, we have the following conclusions after the investigation on the so-called “slalom” maintained by P. J. GRILLO (1960).(1)1. As is analogized from Fig. 6-7 in which 53 out of 93 examples can be superposed one upon another, human motion in walking is similar to the pattern of wave-motion repeating a directional change periodically. In order to define its standard form, each of wave-length, amplitude, and etc. is measured and treated statistically.Estimated results: with 99% confidence level, 1/2 wave-length=23.96±1.19≅24m.amplitude=4.24±0.24≅4m.By the aid of above-mentioned numerical values, a standard pattern of human motion in walking pace is shown in Fig. 8 which is modified for the reason that they are induced from samples left on the sands giving us some difficulty in controlling our legs. And this pattern approximately satisfies the previous proposed equation;namely, 39-δ=13.5Log.(R-5.8).In this case, the angle of changing direction (δ) is 18°54' and its radius of curvature (R) is 37m.2. Checking the remaining 40 examples, we can find out many samples whose pattern are nearly rectilinear in spite of irregularity, with these concrete cases, it shall be assumed that man has always an intention of walking straight so long as he does not turn consciously. On the other hand, in the supplemental experiments of blindfold subjects ordered to go straight on, it was observed that every one was inclined to walk along with a certain curvature.From these facts described above, we may conclude that “slalom” are produced as the result of the interaction of two potential factors, that is, the directional-intention and the bodily-inclination.

1. 1. Two sets of extensor and two sets of flexor muscles at the pereiopod base of Ligia oceanica provide most of the locomotory effort. 2. 2. The segments of the endopodite have only a modifying influence on the precise position of the limb and evidently do not contribute much to the effective locomotory stroke. 3. 3. Stepping pattern is basically a metachronal rhythm. The gait of the animal does not alter at different walking speeds.

The locomotion of free, intact cockroaches, Periplaneta americana, was studied with the aid of high speed motion pictures. The insects used a single gait, alternating triangle, at all speeds of locomotion (5–80 cm/s) except the very lowest ones (below 5 cm/s). Both forward (protraction) and rearward (retraction) movements of the legs relative to the body decreased in duration as the insect’s rate of forward progression increased, but at different rates. In addition, protraction was usually shorter for the two middle legs than for the remaining four. The ratio of protraction to retraction increased as the locomotor rate increased. The rate of change of this ratio was the same for each of the legs. Phase relationships between adjacent ipsilateral legs were constant at about 0·5 at all walking speeds above about 5 cm/s. Phase between legs in a single segment (i.e. contralateral pairs) was constant at about 0·5 at all speeds. The locomotion of Periplaneta was compared to that of other insects. Despite the differences, a single mechanism could account for walking in each.

The time individuals spent walking a standard distance on a sidewalk was unobtrusively observed under 2 conditions. In a crowded condition the distribution of walking speeds ( n = 20) was skewed towards fast speeds. This was interpreted as being due to physical constraints against walking slower than the pace of the crowd and freedom to move faster. In an uncrowded condition the distribution of walking speeds ( n = 20) was skewed towards slow speeds. This was interpreted as being due to norms which limit walking speed and the lack of normative or physical constraints against moving slower than the “normal” speed. The findings were generalized to other settings where user density and environment capacity interact to determine the pace at which people move through behavior sequences.

1. Energy expenditure determinations have been made on thirty-two soldiers newly arrived in the warm humid climate of southern Malaya. Ergometer cycling was investigated as well as everyday activities such as lying, sitting, riding in a trunck, abultions, buildings a jungle camp and walking with loads over four different routes.2. The inter-individual variation in the gross energy expenditure (kcal/min and kJ/min) of each activity has been compared with the variation in energy expenditure standardized for body-weight, surface area and lean body mass. Standardization for body size did not consistently or effectively reduce the coefficients of variation of energy expenditure.3. The gross energy expenditure of most activities was significantly correlated with bodyweight, surface area or lean body mass but the correlation coefficients were not of a high order, suggesting that less than 41% of the inter-individual variation in energy expenditure was accounted for by variation in body size.4. The energy expenditure of walking at various speeds over both firm and uneven terrain was related to the square of the walking speed and the total weight of the man and his equipment (correlation coefficients 0.89–0.92, P < 0.001).

Little is known about the energy/speed relation of those who are handicapped in the lower-limbs. In fact, this is true for users of below-knee prostheses. The importance of the above relation lies in the pronouncement that can be made in the matter of the results of a rehabilitation program, on the ground of the O2-consumption during walking. In order to determine the relation between O2-consumption and the walking speed, we had at our disposal 54 users of below-knee prostheses, all but a few disabled in consequence of a trauma. Thirty-seven subjects could reach and maintain walking speeds of 50 up to 90 m/min for a prolonged period. For this range of speeds equations for Gross and Nett $$\dot V_{O_2 } $$ /kg were determined. The measure of physical fitness as well as the cardiorespiratory functions and the conditions of stump and prosthesis were evaluated. The conclusion is that otherwise healthy users of below-knee prostheses are consuming approximately 20% more oxygen at all speeds than normal subjects. Stress is laid on the importance of these findings with respect to the rehabilitation. Furthermore, attention is invited for the necessity of maintaining or improving the physical condition apart from the specific walking training for these handicapped.

A subject walking in front of a coded background is photographed with a high speed movie camera. For greater accuracy, the camera is moved parallel to the subject at his walking speed. The successive film frames are analyzed by a flying spot scanner under computer control. The computer program determines the location of the camera using the background code and finds the position co-ordinates of marker dots placed over various points of interest on the subject's body and limbs. From the location of the marker dots the trajectories of the various limbs and joints can be obtained in graphical form, as well as data pertaining to joint velocities and angular displacements. It is felt that this information can have important clinical use for assessing walking disabilities and for measuring gait improvement in amputees.

IN walking over a level surface, were there no muscular loss or imperfect elasticity in the ground, the only work to be done would be that required to start the body and limbs at the walking speed, which work might be recovered when stopping. Thus any energy expended in walking on the level is due either to work taken up by the ground, or lost by muscular inefficiency. (Air resistance may be neglected at walking speeds.)

An analytical relationship between the basic variables of walking — step rate, step length, and metabolic energy expenditure — is formulated with the aid of data derived from the only two complete studies in the literature (Atzler and Herbst, 1927; Molen et al., 1972b). The relationship in its hyperbolic form indicates that for any given step length within the normal range of walking speeds (approximately up to 145 m/min) there is a unique step rate which requires minimal energy expenditure per unit distance traversed. Matching the given step length with any other step rate results in greater energy demand. As derived here, the condition of optimality requires that the step rate be directly proportional to the step length with a subject-dependent proportionality constant. Imposing this optimality constraint on the hyperbolic form yields an optimal pattern equation which virtually coincides, up to speeds of about 100 m/min, with an empirical equation of quadratic form, found by a number of investigators to adequately relate energy expenditure to speed under moderate walking conditions.