Impact of 24-hour shifts on interns' gait: A study on sleep deprivation and rest effects.
Menekşe Karahan, Enis Uluçam
PMID 41949536WHAT IT FOUND
A 24-hour shift without sleep did not change interns' gait immediately.
However, after a rest period, foot rotation became less symmetrical. This suggests that while acute deprivation may not alter walking right away, recovery sleep quality plays a role in motor control.
Key findings
01Completing a 24-hour shift without sleep did not significantly affect gait parameters in interns.
02After a subsequent rest period, significant differences in gait symmetry emerged, specifically in foot rotation and single support line.
03Sleep duration during the rest period correlated with gait parameters, with daytime sleep linked to single support line and nighttime sleep linked to step width.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was underpowered, with only 28 participants analyzed despite a power calculation suggesting 33 were needed for medium effects. Sleep duration during the rest period was self-reported and subjective, lacking objective measures like actigraphy. There was no time-matched control group, so observed changes after rest could be due to circadian rhythms rather than sleep deprivation effects. The sample consisted only of young interns, limiting generalizability to older physicians or other specialties.
Declared interests
The authors received no financial support and declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that 24-hour shifts are safe for motor performance. The lack of immediate gait changes does not rule out risk, and the study was underpowered. Changes in symmetry appeared only after rest, and the absence of a control group means these could be circadian effects rather than sleep deprivation consequences.