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Updated: Jul 11, 2025
Substantiating Appropriate Motion Capture Techniques for the Assessment of Nordic Walking Gait and Posture in Older Adults
Published on: May 12, 2016
The effects of walking aids on shoulder joint kinematics in older persons: an initial study
Jiemeng Yang1,2, Zhongjun Mo2, Yanyu Zhang1
1Key Laboratory for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of Ministry of Education, Beijing Advanced Innovation Centre for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, and with the School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China.
Background:
Many older persons with degenerative physical functions use walking aids to improve their ambulation ability. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of walking aids with different configurations on shoulder joint motion in older persons.
Methods:
The 3D motion capture system VICON was applied to collect data on gait parameters and shoulder motion characteristics of 6 older persons walking either independently or with the assistance of a footed walking frame and a wheeled walking frame. The different effects of walking aids on gait parameters and the shoulder joint motion of older individuals were quantitatively analyzed.
Results:
The gait parameters of the older individuals changed significantly when they used walking frames to assist walking. Compared to independent walking, the range of motion of the shoulder joint was reduced by 79.92% in flexion when walking with a wheeled walking frame. Meanwhile, the range of motion in flexion, extension, and external rotation increased by 76.04%, 85.55%, and 110.99%, respectively, when walking with a footed walking frame.
Conclusion:
The motion characteristics of shoulder joints in older persons were significantly affected by using different walking aids. These changes in shoulder joint motion characteristics will lead to potential diseases related to the shoulder musculoskeletal system. These findings are beneficial to determine a walking aid for older people.
