Effects of anterior load carriage on dynamic gait stability during level overground walking

Anterior load carriage, identified as a fall risk factor, is commonly required in daily living activities and occupations. Dynamic gait stability quantifies the kinematic relationship between the human body's center of mass and base of support and has been widely used to assess fall risk. The current study was conducted as a portion of a larger project exploring the effects of anterior load carriage on the control of body stability during various walking conditions. Particularly, this study examined the effect of anterior load carriage on dynamic gait stability during level overground walking among young adults. It was hypothesized that anterior load carriage would compromise dynamic gait stability during walking. Thirty young adults were evenly randomized into three groups: no load (Group 1), 10% body mass (bm) (Group 2), and 20% bm (Group 3). Each group walked overground at a self-selected speed carrying the assigned load. Kinematics were collected for the body and load through motion capture. Dynamic gait stability, gait speed, step length, and trunk angle were determined based on the kinematics and compared between groups. The results did not detect significant load-related effects on dynamic gait stability, step length, or gait speed. A significant load-related difference was found in trunk angle: the heavier the load, the more backward leaned trunk. Further analyses revealed a more posteriorly-leaned trunk in Groups 2 and 3 than Group 1 and in Group 3 than Group 2. The results indicated that young adults could maintain dynamic gait stability when carrying a front load by leaning the trunk backward but keeping other gait parameters unchanged.