Fall inducing movable platform (FIMP) for overground trips and slips.
Jie Kai Er, Cyril John William Donnelly, Seng Kwee Wee and 1 others
PMID 33272286WHAT IT FOUND
A new mobile platform successfully induced realistic trips and slips in healthy young adults without restricting their walking.
The device attached to the ankle and moved with the person, allowing researchers to capture natural balance recovery reactions that treadmill studies often miss.
Key findings
01The device induced terminal swing trips that triggered a lowering recovery strategy, with the perturbed leg stiffening and the opposite leg swinging forward to widen the base of support.
02Mid swing trips caused a skipping strategy, where the body rolled forward and the opposite leg had to swing rapidly to catch the momentum.
03Slip perturbations resulted in the perturbed foot sliding forward in a flat-footed posture, with subjects stiffening their joints to stop the fall.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included only seven healthy young adults, so the findings may not apply to older adults or those with balance impairments. Force and muscle activity (EMG) data were not collected, limiting the understanding of the muscular causes behind the observed kinematics. Only the left leg was perturbed, assuming symmetric recovery responses. The elevating recovery strategy was not successfully induced. The high variability in slip recovery responses complicated the analysis, as different subjects used different strategies (continuous slide, anterior step, posterior step).
Declared interests
Funded by the National Research Foundation Singapore. No commercial conflicts declared in the text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this platform works for older adults or those with balance disorders. The study tested only seven healthy young adults, and the high variability in slip responses suggests that recovery strategies are not uniform even in this low-risk group.