Laboratory Analysis of Backpack Design and Walking Gradient Effects on Gait Kinetics and Kinematics
Timothy Grigg1, Natalia Kabaliuk2, Sibi Walter1
1Faculty of Health, University of Canterbury, Christchurch 8041, New Zealand.
Background:
Heavy backpacks are carried by hikers during prolonged trekking trips. A backpack's design could impact a hiker's gait kinematics and kinetics.
Objective:
We aimed to assess the impact of backpack designs on lumbar extension (LE) and centre of pressure (COP) during walking.
Methods:
Participants (n = 8; age = 23 ± 2) attended testing sessions to assess a traditional backpack (TBP) and a balance backpack (BBP) against no backpack (NBP) control while walking on three gradients (flat, 0°; incline, 12°; decline, -12°). Walking tests were conducted on a force plate-embedded treadmill with a motion capture system. Statistical tests assessed the effect of a backpack on LE and COP during carriage. Dunnett's multiple comparison post hoc test identified significant main effects (5% significance).
Results:
The observed differences in an individual's LE and COP across all three gradients were statistically (a = 0.05) significantly less when using a BBP compared to a TBP.
Conclusion:
Comparative analysis revealed that the BBP's anterior-posterior loading system closely replicated the gait pattern of unloaded walking across the observed gradients. These findings suggest that hikers using a BBP may exhibit a gait resembling unloaded gait in comparison to a TBP gait.
