Introduction: Sports physicians are frequently required to decide on patient weight-bearing limitations following certain bony or soft tissue injuries as well as lower-limb surgical procedures. The purpose of this presentation is to provide researched data regarding the average percentage body weight (APBW) values and weight-bearing distribution patterns (WBDP) between four common leisure and sports activities in a referent adult population and to suggest clinical implications.
Methods: An innovative weight-bearing system gait analysis system (SmartStep™) was utilized in this study. Asymptomatic subjects (N= 78, mean age, 33.4y; range 19-72y) were included. The subjects participated in four tests: I. Ground walking over a 20 m distance, II. Ground jogging over a 20 m distance, III. Treadmill jogging at a constant speed of 8.5 km/hr for a 15-second interval and IV. Elliptical jogging over a 20 second period at a resistance and incline level of 10, and at a steady pace within the range of 70-95 steps/min.
Results: In walking tests, the APBW value on the entire foot value was 112% (SD=15.57), 80% (SD= 15.92) on the hind foot, and 108% (SD= 15.47) on the forefoot. In ground jogging, the APBW value on the entire foot was 201% (SD= 31.24), 101% (SD= 21.78) on the hind foot, and 174% (SD=28.52) on the forefoot. In the treadmill test, the APBW value on the entire foot was 175% (SD=25.48), 88% (SD=24.86) on the hind foot, and 146% (SD=25.59) on the forefoot. In the elliptical test, the APBW value on the entire foot value was 73% (SD=13.8), 33% (SD= 13.7) on the hind foot, and 48% (SD= 15.9) on the forefoot.
Conclusion: Elliptical training significantly reduces weight-bearing as compared to other common functional and sporting activities.
Impact:
- •Elliptical training can be used in cases where weight bearing needs to be reduced
- •Early rehabilitation can be commenced early on in rehabilitation to prevent muscle atrophy and maintain cardio-pulmonary function
Funding acknowledgements\ conflict of interests: There was no funding for this study and the authors have no conflict of interest of relevance to the submission of this abstract
