Amount of Weight-Bearing During Tilt Table Inclination, With Neutral and Unilateral Knee Flexion Postures

To analyze the amount of weight-bearing during tilt table increments, with a review of neutral and unilateral knee flexion postures.

There were 17 healthy participants enrolled in this study. The subjects were tilted from 10° to 90°, and their body weight was measured at each 10° increment. In the first test, both plantar pressures, with the subjects in neutral posture, were recorded. During the second and third tests, the angle of inclination was thus recorded and increased, with the subjects in unilateral knee flexion posture; flexion was maintained at 25° by attaching a cylindrical support to the tilt table at the level of the popliteal fossa.

The study was divided into two types of postures: neutral and unilateral knee flexion. The percentage of body weight (%BW) between each leg during neutral posture was noted as not being statistically significant. The %BW of one side during tilt table inclination was significantly different between the two postures at 10° to 80° (p<0.05). The weight during unilateral knee flexion posture was lower as analyzed, regardless of tilt table inclination compared with that in neutral posture. We note that fifty percent of the ratio of %BW was noted at 33.12° and 38.76° in neutral and flexion postures, respectively.

The unilateral knee flexion could induce the effect of decreased body weight compared with non-flexion side. The results of this study will help in setting a safe and quantitative percentage of weight-bearing on the lower extremity during tilt training.