Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Increased Pre-Activation and Co-Contraction in ACL-Reconstructed Athletes: Insights from AI-based EMG Analysis.

Medicine and science in sports and exercise·2026
Same author

Muscle Network of Parkinson's Gait: A 12-Month Longitudinal Analysis Before and After Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery.

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society·2026
Same author

Impact of the auscultation area on heart sound waveforms for the estimation of Cardiac Time Intervals.

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference·2025
Same author

Pilot study on the separability of the native heart sounds and device support noise in patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices.

Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference·2025
Same author

Improved Dual-Task Interference in Parkinson's Disease Following Deep Brain Stimulation.

IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering : a publication of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society·2025
Same author

The VincerEmo Pilot Study: Prospective Analysis of Controlled Physical Activity in People with severe Hemophilia.

Journal of clinical medicine·2025
Same journal

Eye-tracking phenotypes reveal clinically meaningful heterogeneity of attention and executive control dysfunction after stroke.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
Same journal

Immediate changes during dysesthesia-matched transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation in refractory neuropathic pain: a retrospective observational case series.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
Same journal

Sensor-derived heel pressure metrics capture reversible gait dysfunction beyond conventional gait measures in normal pressure hydrocephalus.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
Same journal

Determination of cut-off points for the Move4 accelerometer and assessment of energy expenditure in children and adolescents aged 6-16 years using manual wheelchairs: a validation and calibration study.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
Same journal

Safety, feasibility and preliminary effects of Atalante exoskeleton-assisted gait training in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a prospective ABA pilot study.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
Same journal

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cognition through sleep slow-wave activity in older adults.

Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking
07:00

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Published on: April 30, 2020

2.3K

Does texting while walking really affect gait in young adults?

Valentina Agostini1, Francesco Lo Fermo2, Giuseppe Massazza3

  • 1Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Torino, Italy. valentina.agostini@polito.it.

Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation
|September 24, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Texting while walking in young adults slightly alters gait but increases ankle muscle co-contraction during weight transfer to enhance stability. This study examines gait modifications and muscle activation patterns during dual-tasking.

More Related Videos

Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
05:52

Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds

Published on: August 25, 2020

5.1K
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
08:56

Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults

Published on: November 7, 2014

14.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 3, 2026

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking
07:00

Measuring the Switch Cost of Smartphone Use While Walking

Published on: April 30, 2020

2.3K
Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds
05:52

Lower-Limb Biomechanical Characteristics Associated with Unplanned Gait Termination Under Different Walking Speeds

Published on: August 25, 2020

5.1K
Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults
08:56

Clinical Assessment of Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Patients and Older Adults

Published on: November 7, 2014

14.4K

Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Human locomotion
  • Motor control

Background:

  • Texting while walking is common among young adults, raising safety concerns.
  • Previous research shows reduced gait speed but lacks detail on motor control strategies affecting stability.
  • Attentional resource allocation to texting may impact dynamic stability during gait.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate gait modifications during texting while walking, including lower limb muscle activation.
  • To specifically assess ankle antagonist muscle co-contraction during this dual-task activity.
  • To test the hypothesis that texting increases ankle co-contraction during weight transfer for improved joint stabilization.

Main Methods:

  • Collected 3-minute instrumented gait data from young adults.
  • Analyzed spatio-temporal parameters, ankle/knee kinematics, and muscle activation (tibialis anterior, gastrocnemius lateralis, etc.).
  • Quantified ankle antagonist muscle co-contraction (tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis).

Main Results:

  • Observed minor gait modifications, primarily due to reduced speed and altered posture.
  • Found no significant changes in ankle or knee kinematics.
  • Noted increased tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis co-contraction during mid-stance, with reduced co-contraction during terminal stance.

Conclusions:

  • Young adults adjust motor control strategies when texting and walking.
  • Ankle joint stability is enhanced during the critical weight-transfer phase of the gait cycle.
  • This adjustment aims to improve distal motor control and joint stabilization during distracted walking.