Overground vs. treadmill walk-to-run transition.

Determination of the walk-to-run transition (WRT) speed is a crucial aspect of gait transition research, which has been conducted on treadmill as well as overground. Overground WRT-speeds were reported to be higher than on treadmill. Part of this difference could be related to the lower acceleration magnitudes on treadmill. In this study, spontaneous WRT overground was compared to WRT at a comparable acceleration on treadmill. In addition, calculation procedures correcting for movement in the lab reference frame on treadmill were implemented. As such, this study was, in contrast to previous treadmill studies, able to detect a speed jump. This speed jump was until now a typical feature of overground WRT and contributed to the higher transition speed. By incorporating horizontal movements of the COM, a speed jump was also detected on treadmill. Yet, treadmill WRT-speed (2.61 ms(-1)) remained lower than overground (2.85 ms(-1)). Nevertheless, this difference was much smaller than assumed in the literature. The remaining difference could be explained by a larger speed jump (treadmill: 0.40 ms(-1); overground: 0.51 ms(-1)), and a higher speed at the start of the transition step overground (treadmill: 2.21 ms(-1); overground: 2.34 ms(-1)). In conclusion, even when controlling for effects of acceleration and movement in the lab reference frame a treadmill influence on WRT was visible.

[1]  Richard A Satterlie,et al.  Neuromechanics: an integrative approach for understanding motor control. , 2007, Integrative and comparative biology.

[2]  Daniel P. Ferris,et al.  10 Biomechanics of Walking and Running: Center of Mass Movements to Muscle Action , 1998, Exercise and sport sciences reviews.

[3]  R. Brand,et al.  The biomechanics and motor control of human gait: Normal, elderly, and pathological , 1992 .

[4]  P. Aerts,et al.  Spatiotemporal characteristics of the walk-to-run and run-to-walk transition when gradually changing speed. , 2006, Gait & posture.

[5]  N Taylor,et al.  Knee joint kinematics from familiarised treadmill walking can be generalised to overground walking in young unimpaired subjects. , 2000, Gait & posture.

[6]  William Anthony Sparrow,et al.  Energetics of human activity , 2000 .

[7]  Philippe Malcolm,et al.  Treadmill versus overground run to walk and walk to run transition speed in unsteady state locomotion conditions , 2005 .

[8]  V Segers,et al.  Kinematics of the transition between walking and running when gradually changing speed. , 2007, Gait & posture.

[9]  A. Schache,et al.  Familiarization to treadmill running in young unimpaired adults. , 2005, Human movement science.

[10]  Kristof De Smet,et al.  Effects of optic flow on spontaneous overground walk-to-run transition , 2008, Experimental Brain Research.

[11]  V Segers,et al.  Spatiotemporal characteristics of spontaneous overground walk-to-run transition. , 2009, Gait & posture.

[12]  Influence of treadmill acceleration on actual walk-to-run transition. , 2010, Gait & posture.

[13]  John M. Hollerbach,et al.  Inertial-Force Feedback for the Treadport Locomotion Interface , 2000, Presence: Teleoperators & Virtual Environments.

[14]  Li Li.  Stability Landscapes of Walking and Running Near Gait Transition Speed , 2000 .

[15]  W. H. Warren,et al.  Why change gaits? Dynamics of the walk-run transition. , 1995, Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance.

[16]  G. J. van Ingen Schenau,et al.  Some fundamental aspects of the biomechanics of overground versus treadmill locomotion , 1980 .

[17]  Robert J. Neal,et al.  Triggers for the transition between human walking and running , 2000 .