Analysis of peak tibial acceleration during gait in different cadences

Purpose. The gait is the most common human movement, a functional task that requires complex and coordinated interactions of the body. This activity has been the subject of various studies, both in relation to descriptions of typical body movements as in pathological conditions and therapeutic interventions. The objective of this study was to describe and analyze the variation of peak acceleration in the tibia by means of accelerometers during the gait cadence induced in normal subjects. Basic procedures. Nine subjects walked on a catwalk on a straight line for 8 meters at 4 km/h (± 5%), 5 km/h (± 5%) and 6 km/h (± 5%) using uniaxial piezoelectric accelerometers with scale 7g set at the midpoint of both tibiae. Main findings. It was observed that there was no difference in peak acceleration between dominant and non-dominant limbs, however, there was significant difference (p <0.05) among all the velocities with which the subjects were analyzed. Conclusions. It is suggested that the variation of 1 km/h is enough to change the peak acceleration of the tibia.