The Influence of Carrying Anterior Load on the Sagittal and Frontal Plane Kinematics of Lower Extremities during Stair Ascending

Background: Anterior load carriage is a one of the commonly performed activities in some industries. Stair climbing while carrying anterior load significantly alters different biomechanical mechanisms that can potentially affect the musculoskeletal function of the lower extremities. Objective: The study aims to assess the effect of carrying an anterior load (۲۰% of body weight) on lower extremity kinematics during the kinematical phases of stairs ascent (weight acceptance, pull up, forward continuance, and swing phase).Material and Methods: In this experimental study, data were collected through the use of a custom made wooden staircase and OPtiTrack motion capture system was composed of ۱۲ infrared cameras and a per modeled reflective marker set. Sixteen female college students volunteered to conduct two tasks of ascending stairs with and without an anterior load of approximately ۲۰% of their body weight. The collected frontal and sagittal plane lower extremity joint angles were calculated using MATLAB software (version R۲۰۱۵a). Statistical comparison between the two study tasks was made using IBM SPSS Statistics software (version ۲۵.۰; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Based on the results, there is significant difference (p-value < ۰.۰۵) between the two study tasks during ascending stair phases in all three sagittal plan lower extremity joint angles. Conclusion: Anterior load carried during stair ascent causes participants to depend more on the hip joint (higher flexion angles) compared to stair ascent without loads, which may increase the risk of falls and injuries, and the importance of muscle-strengthening activities and highlight the use of appropriate technique during load carriage

کلیدواژه ها:

Knee and Hip Joints ، Anterior load ، Gait ، Kinematics ، Time and Motion Studies ، Stair Climbing ، Range of Motion