Limping on split-belt treadmills implies opposite kinematic and dynamic lower limb asymmetries.
Luigi Tesio, Chiara Malloggi, Calogero Malfitano and 3 others
PMID 30303831WHAT IT FOUND
The faster leg on split-belt treadmills took longer steps but also produced more ankle power earlier, while the slower leg produced less power.
Step asymmetry alone may not show whether ankle work is balanced.
Key findings
01In split conditions, the faster side had longer step length and swing time, but shorter single-stance and double-stance time than the slower side.
02The faster side produced higher and earlier ankle plantar flexor power than the slower side, and ankle power and work were higher on the faster side and lower on the slower side compared with average tied speed.
03Asymmetries were larger in the 0408 split condition than in the 0812 split condition, and the speed ratio appeared to matter more than the speed difference.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 healthy adults were studied, not patients, so the findings do not show what happens during stroke or other rehabilitation. Participants were aged 22 to 30 years, so results may not apply to children or older adults. Only early adaptation was analysed, not late adaptation or after-effects, so it does not tell therapists how gait changes after repeated training. Only two split speed combinations were tested, and speed differences greater than 0.4 m/s or ratios greater than 2:1 were not examined. Only sagittal plane motion was analysed, so other directions of joint movement were not measured. The study measured biomechanical asymmetries, not clinical outcomes or treatment benefit.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this as evidence that split-belt treadmill training improves patient gait. It was done only in healthy adults, analysed only early adaptation, and measured biomechanical asymmetries, not clinical outcomes.