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- Title
Adaptive gait responses to varying weight‐bearing conditions: Inferences from gait dynamics and H‐reflex magnitude.
- Authors
Kim, Yong Kuk; Gwerder, Michelle; Taylor, William R.; Baur, Heiner; Singh, Navrag B.
- Abstract
This study investigates the effects of varying loading conditions on excitability in neural pathways and gait dynamics. We focussed on evaluating the magnitude of the Hoffman reflex (H‐reflex), a neurophysiological measure representing the capability to activate motor neurons and the timing and placement of the foot during walking. We hypothesized that weight manipulation would alter H‐reflex magnitude, footfall and lower body kinematics. Twenty healthy participants were recruited and subjected to various weight‐loading conditions. The H‐reflex, evoked by stimulating the tibial nerve, was assessed from the dominant leg during walking. Gait was evaluated under five conditions: body weight, 20% and 40% additional body weight, and 20% and 40% reduced body weight (via a harness). Participants walked barefoot on a treadmill under each condition, and the timing of electrical stimulation was set during the stance phase shortly after the heel strike. Results show that different weight‐loading conditions significantly impact the timing and placement of the foot and gait stability. Weight reduction led to a 25% decrease in double limb support time and an 11% narrowing of step width, while weight addition resulted in an increase of 9% in step width compared to body weight condition. Furthermore, swing time variability was higher for both the extreme weight conditions, while the H‐reflex reduced to about 45% between the extreme conditions. Finally, the H‐reflex showed significant main effects on variability of both stance and swing phases, indicating that muscle‐motor excitability might serve as feedback for enhanced regulation of gait dynamics under challenging conditions. What is the central question of this study?How do varying weight‐loading conditions influence neural excitability and gait dynamics, particularly focusing on the H‐reflex and foot placement during walking?What is the main finding and its importance?Different weight conditions significantly impacted foot timing and gait stability. With weight reduction, there was a notable decrease in double limb support time, step width and H‐reflex. The result suggested that weight reduction posed more challenges than weight addition. This has implications for understanding neural responses during varied weight‐loading scenarios.
- Subjects
H-reflex; WEIGHT loss; TIBIAL nerve; NEURAL pathways; MOTOR neurons
- Publication
Experimental Physiology, 2024, Vol 109, Issue 5, p754
- ISSN
0958-0670
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1113/EP091492