Title: Relationship between auditory rhythm and gait parameters during unilateral load carriage: design study on school children

Authors: Sonal Atreya; Swetambri; R. Periyasamy; U. Singh; Sneh Anand

Addresses: Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110016, India ' Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Science Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University) New Delhi-110062, India ' Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India ' Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India ' Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India

Abstract: The prescribed weight to be carried by school children has been determined to be 10-15% of their Body Weight (BW); however, literature shows that the majority of them carry up to 30% of their BW. It has been found that one strap backpack induces elevation of the strap supporting shoulder and concomitant lateral bending of the spine and leads to changes in various gait parameters. Auditory beats have been previously successfully utilised to treat patients suffering from motor deficiency to improve gait aspects. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of auditory rhythmic stimulation during unilateral loaded conditions on the various gait parameters.

Keywords: backpacks; unilateral load carriage; gait parameters; auditory rhythm; correlation; school children; shoulder support; lateral bending; spine bending; motor deficiency; school bags; bag weight.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBET.2012.046958

International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, 2012 Vol.8 No.4, pp.315 - 325

Published online: 12 Dec 2014 *

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