Effects of Real-time Feedback During Decline Walking on Kinematic and Kinetic Gait Parameters in a Healthy Population

NCT04763850 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: project2010559
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Control of the dynamic functional leg alignment (dFLA) and biomechanical load are important joint related aspects regarding the development of osteoarthritis (OA). Research on level walking with feedback on load related parameters provided innovative treatment possibilities. Concerning walking on sloped surfaces, fundamental biomechanical knowledge exists. However, deeper insights into the control of the dFLA during decline walking, and the usefulness of real-time feedback are missing. This study is set up as cross-sectional observation of gait under four conditions, which follows a randomized sequence in order to avoid carry over effects. Thirty (30) participants aged between 18 and 35 years will be included. They will complete a three-dimensional gait analysis on a 5-m ramp with 10° inclination. Afterwards they will be observed under four different conditions a) self-paced walking b) self-paced walking with internal focus of attention, c) self-paced walking with real-time feedback, and d) condition c speed-matched walking, on a 10° declined split belt treadmill. The primary outcome parameter will be the frontal knee range of motion (fKROM). Secondary outcomes include the ground reaction force loading rate, spatial-temporal parameters, sagittal frontal and transversal kinematics, and kinetics for the lower extremities. The findings should improve the understanding of effects of real-time feedback on the control of the dFLA and lower limb loading. Results will be published in a peer-review journal.

Conditions

Healthy

Keywords

Real-time feedback; Decline walking; Leg alignment; Kinematic; Kinetic; Treadmill

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• frontal knee range of motion during stance phase

  frontal knee range of motion \[degree\]

  during intervention

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• ground reaction force loading ratio

  during intervention

Other Outcomes (2)

• 3D kinematics of the lower limb

  during intervention

• 3D kinetics of the lower limb

  during intervention

Study Arms (1)

Walking decline

EXPERIMENTAL

Walking decline on an instrumented treadmill under 3 different conditions

Other: Decline Walking with real-time Feedback

Interventions

Decline Walking with real-time Feedback OTHER

Participants are walking decline with self-paced speed on an instrumented treadmill with virtual reality projection under three conditions: without instruction, with instruction for an internal focus of attention and with real-time feedback of their frontal knee alignment

Also known as: Decline Walking with increased internal focus of attention, Decline Walking

Walking decline

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• age from 18-35 years
• body mass index from 18.5 to 29.99 kg/m²
• no chronical joint diseases and/or OA surgery
• no neuro-motor diseases

You may not qualify if:

• non-physiological and non-symmetrical gait patterns
• severe outliers (more than two standard deviations)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Klaus Widhalm: lead

Study Sites (1)

FH Campus Wien, University of Applied Sciences

Vienna, 1100, Austria

Location

Related Publications (2)

• Widhalm K, Durstberger S, Putz P. Effects of visual real-time feedback during decline walking on gait parameters: a crossover randomized trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2025 Dec 23. doi: 10.1186/s12891-025-09437-7. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 41430600 DERIVED

• Widhalm K, Durstberger S, Putz P. Effects of real-time feedback during decline walking on kinematic and kinetic gait parameters in a healthy population: study protocol for a randomized trial - up and down. Trials. 2021 Jul 22;22(1):477. doi: 10.1186/s13063-021-05422-2.

  PMID: 34294137 DERIVED

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Academic Staff

Model Details: The study is set up as cross-sectional observation of gait under four conditions, which follows a randomized sequence in order to avoid carry over effects. Chronologically, the assessments will start with the tertiary observation, investigating agreements between declined/inclined ramp and treadmill walking. Thereafter, three out of four conditions (self-paced walking, self-paced walking with internal focus of attention, and self-paced walking with real-time feedback) are tested under block randomization of their six possible permutations . With three conditions (n=3), this represents the smallest number of permutations, equaling a Williams design, where each condition precedes each other condition equally often and each treatment occurs equally frequently at each position. The fourth corresponding condition (speed-matched walking) is exempted from the sequence randomization and always follows after self-paced walking with real-time feedback.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 17, 2021
• First Posted: February 21, 2021
• Study Start: January 26, 2021
• Primary Completion: April 27, 2021
• Study Completion: May 25, 2021
• Last Updated: May 26, 2021

Record last verified: 2021-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share

Locations

AU (1)