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.