Gait & Posture
Volume 31, Issue 4 , Pages 420-428, April 2010

Overground vs. treadmill walk-to-run transition

  • I. Van Caekenberghe

      Affiliations

    • These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +32 9 264 63 12; fax: +32 9 264 64 84.
    • ,
  • K. De Smet

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    • These authors contributed equally to this work.
    • Tel.: +32 9 264 63 12; fax: +32 9 264 64 84.
    • ,
  • V. Segers

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    • Tel.: +32 9 264 63 12; fax: +32 9 264 64 84.
    • ,
  • D. De Clercq

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    • Tel.: +32 9 264 63 22; fax: +32 9 264 64 84.

Ghent University, Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Watersportlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium

Received 7 May 2009; received in revised form 14 January 2010; accepted 19 January 2010. published online 11 March 2010.

Abstract 

Determination of the walk-to-run transition (WRT) speed is a crucial aspect of gait transition research, which has been conducted on treadmill as well as overground. Overground WRT-speeds were reported to be higher than on treadmill.

Part of this difference could be related to the lower acceleration magnitudes on treadmill. In this study, spontaneous WRT overground was compared to WRT at a comparable acceleration on treadmill. In addition, calculation procedures correcting for movement in the lab reference frame on treadmill were implemented. As such, this study was, in contrast to previous treadmill studies, able to detect a speed jump. This speed jump was until now a typical feature of overground WRT and contributed to the higher transition speed.

By incorporating horizontal movements of the COM, a speed jump was also detected on treadmill. Yet, treadmill WRT-speed (2.61ms−1) remained lower than overground (2.85ms−1). Nevertheless, this difference was much smaller than assumed in the literature. The remaining difference could be explained by a larger speed jump (treadmill: 0.40ms−1; overground: 0.51ms−1), and a higher speed at the start of the transition step overground (treadmill: 2.21ms−1; overground: 2.34ms−1).

In conclusion, even when controlling for effects of acceleration and movement in the lab reference frame a treadmill influence on WRT was visible.

Keywords: Locomotion, Gait transition, Biomechanics, Overground, Treadmill, Walk-to-run transition, WRT, Acceleration

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PII: S0966-6362(10)00026-3

doi:10.1016/j.gaitpost.2010.01.011

Gait & Posture
Volume 31, Issue 4 , Pages 420-428, April 2010

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