Familiarization with treadmill walking: How much is enough?

摘要: Treadmill-based gait analysis is widely used to investigate walking pathologies and quantify treatment effects on locomotion. Differential sensorimotor conditions during overground vs. treadmill necessitate initial familiarization walking. Currently, there no standardized acclimatization protocol insufficient potentially confounds analyses. We monitored adaptations in 40 healthy adults. Twenty-six parameters were assessed over 10 minutes with marker-based kinematic profiles generated. While 16 demonstrated followed by plateau performance, ten remained stable. Distal lower limb control including ankle range of motion, toe trajectory foot clearance underwent substantial adaptations. Moreover, intralimb coordination variability also acclimatization, while measures symmetry interlimb did not. All exhibiting a after so within 6–7 minutes (425 strides). Older participants those naive showed higher amplitudes but similar timescales. Our results suggest minimum 6 minutes required reach stable that this should suffice for both older The presented data aids optimizing treadmill-based contributes improving locomotor assessments research clinical settings.