Spatiotemporal gait parameter changes due to exposure to vertical whole-body vibration

Vertical whole-body vibration (vWBV) during work, recreation, and transportation can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health. Studies have shown that lateral vibration at low frequencies (<3 Hz) can result in changes to spatiotemporal gait parameters. There are few studies which explore spatiotemporal gait changes due to vertical vibration at higher frequencies (> 3 Hz). This study seeks to assess the effect of vWBV on spatiotemporal gait parameters at a greater range of frequencies (≤ 30 Hz).

Stride Frequency (SF), Stride Length (SL), and Center of Pressure velocity (CoPv) was measured in seven male subjects (23 ± 4 years, 1.79 ± 0.05 m, 73.9 ± 9.7 kg) during In-Place Walking and nine male subjects (29 ± 7 years, 1.78 ± 0.07 m, 77.8 ± 9.9 kg; mean ± SD) during Treadmill Walking while exposed to vWBV. Load cells measured ground reaction forces during In-Place Walking and sensorized insoles acquired under-foot pressure during Treadmill Walking. Statistical tests included a one-way repeated-measures ANOVA, post-hoc two way paired T-tests, statistical power (1-β), correlation (R²), and effect size (Cohen's d).

While statistical significance was not found for changes in SF, SL, or Mean CoPv, small to large effects were found in all measured spatiotemporal parameters of both setups. During Treadmill Walking, vWBV was correlated with a decrease in SF (R² = 0.925), an increase in SL (R² = 0.908), and an increase in Mean CoPv (R² = 0.921) and Max CoPv (R² = 0.952) with a significant increase (p < 0.0083) in Max CoPv at frequencies of 8 Hz and higher.

Study results demonstrated that vWBV influences spatiotemporal gait parameters at frequencies greater than previously studied.