Michael Orendurff, M.S. (Director, VA Motion Analysis Lab)
VA Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering
"Turning Gait"
ABSTRACT
Almost all of what we know about humans walking is about how humans walk
straight at a single speed. But in the real world walking involves
turning corners, negotiating hallways and avoiding obstacles. Until
recently the technology to measure how humans turn was not available so questions
about these movements were avoided. Turning is important: One in five
steps you take is a turn, and the steps before a turn slow you down and the
steps after a turn speed you up. Walking in the real world involves
a lot of changes in walking speed and changing your trajectory and orientation.
These tasks are more complex and difficult than straight walking, the risk
of falling greater and the injuries more severe. A fall while turning
is 6 times more likely to result in a hip fracture than a fall while walking
straight. Recent work on the Motion Analysis Laboratory at the Seattle
VA hospital has begun to investigate how humans turn with the goal of improving
our understanding of human gait in real world settings and the ways negotiating
corners might be improved for individuals with disabilities.