Six Minutes Walking in Polio Survivors: Effects on Fatigue and Walking Adaptability.
Jana Tuijtelaars, Max Keller, Frans Nollet and 3 others
PMID 36524415WHAT IT FOUND
Six minutes of adaptive walking caused substantial cardiorespiratory fatigue in polio survivors, leading to a decline in walking adaptability.
Healthy individuals experienced only modest fatigue and maintained or improved performance. This suggests prolonged walking may increase fall risk in polio survivors.
Key findings
01Cardiorespiratory fatigue increased more in polio survivors than healthy individuals during 6 minutes of walking.
02Walking adaptability performance declined in polio survivors, particularly during narrow-beam walking, while healthy individuals improved or maintained performance.
03Muscle activation decreased in polio survivors during adaptive walking despite fatigue, suggesting a prioritization of reduced effort over task performance.
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
Sample size was smaller than intended due to COVID-19 restrictions, preventing full counterbalancing of test orders. Maximal voluntary contractions were not recorded, so relative muscle activation could not be compared between groups. The study did not track participants over time, so it cannot determine if the observed fatigue leads to actual falls in daily life. One polio survivor could only complete the narrow-beam test due to exhaustion, and some data were missing for EMG and heart rate analyses.
Declared interests
No funding or conflicts of interest are explicitly stated in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that short-distance walking tests (e.g., 2-minute or 10-meter walk) adequately capture fall risk in polio survivors. This study shows that fatigue and adaptability deficits emerge specifically after 6 minutes of walking, particularly during complex tasks.