Walking Aids for Enabling Activity and Participation

Bertrand, Kim; Raymond, Marie-Hélène; Miller, William C.; Ginis, Kathleen A. Martin; Demers, Louise

doi:10.1097/phm.0000000000000836

Cited by 66 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…This study showed that the acclimation process and acceptance of a spinal orthosis could be facilitated through proper fitting and information on how it worked, as well as how and when it could be best used. An acclimation process can also be seen in other types of assistive devices, such as walking aids, in which studies show that support and information are needed in order to make it easier for the individual to accept a new assistive device that makes daily activities easier [ 30 ]. One problem with the spinal orthosis was that it tended to ride up during physical work, particularly work above shoulder height.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of using an activating spinal orthosis in women with osteoporosis and back pain in primary care

Alin

Frisendahl²,

Kronhed

et al. 2020

Arch Osteoporos

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Summary Women with osteoporosis and back pain took part in focus group interviews and described their experiences of using and handling an activating spinal orthosis. The women described the back orthosis as being like a “close friend”, a support in everyday life and a reminder to maintain a good posture. Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe and gain a deeper understanding of the views of older women with osteoporosis and back pain seeking primary care regarding their use and handling of an activating spinal orthosis. Method We chose a qualitative method whereby information was gathered via focus group interviews and analysed using inductive content analysis. Women who previously participated in a randomised controlled trial and wore an activating spinal orthosis for 6 months were asked. Out of 31 women, 18 agreed to participate. Five focus group interviews were conducted. Results The analysis resulted in an overall theme in which the experiences of wearing the spinal orthosis were described as follows: “A well-adapted spinal orthosis could develop into a long-lasting friendship that provided support and help in daily life”. The overall theme was based on three main categories: impact on daily life, individual adaptation and personal relationship. The main categories were well differentiated from each other but had an interdependency. All three categories involved cases in which the spinal orthosis was perceived as relieving symptoms and making daily life easier, as well as when it was perceived as being hard to manage and provided no symptom relief. Conclusion In older women with osteoporosis and back pain, an activating spinal orthosis could be perceived as being a “close friend” and a support in everyday life. To facilitate acceptance of the spinal orthosis, it was important for it to be well adapted and for follow-ups to be carried out regularly.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of using an activating spinal orthosis in women with osteoporosis and back pain in primary care

Alin

Frisendahl²,

Kronhed

et al. 2020

Arch Osteoporos

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“…Despite various existing walkers are owned by seniors, reported statistics show that 33% of people over 60 years fell at least once (Luz et al, 2017). We argue that intelligence is essential for an elderly walker to detect abnormal user behaviors and provide timely safety support, since primitive assistance devices, such as rollators and walkers, are much likely to fail (Bertrand et al, 2017). Exoskeleton (Tucker et al, 2019) is another approach with multiple robotic joints and links worn onto the user body, effective but less practical for daily wearing by older persons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

A Smart Robotic Walker With Intelligent Close-Proximity Interaction Capabilities for Elderly Mobility Safety

et al. 2020

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The elderly population has rapidly increased in past years, bringing huge demands for elderly serving devices, especially for those with mobility impairment. Present assistant walkers designed for elderly users are primitive with limited user interactivity and intelligence. We propose a novel smart robotic walker that targets a convenient-to-use indoor walking aid for the elderly. The walker supports multiple modes of interactions through voice, gait or haptic touch, and allows intelligent control via learning-based methods to achieve mobility safety. Our design enables a flexible, initiative and reliable walker due to the following: (1) we take a hybrid approach by combining the conventional mobile robotic platform with the existing rollator design, to achieve a novel robotic system that fulfills expected functionalities; (2) our walker tracks users in front by detecting lower limb gait, while providing close-proximity walking safety support; (3) our walker can detect human intentions and predict emergency events, e.g., falling, by monitoring force pressure on a specially designed soft-robotic interface on the handle; (4) our walker performs reinforcement learning-based sound source localization to locate and navigate to the user based on his/her voice signals. Experiment results demonstrate the sturdy mechanical structure, the reliability of multiple novel interactions, and the efficiency of the intelligent control algorithms implemented. The demonstration video is available at: https://sites.google.com/view/smart-walker-hku.

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“…Limited reports of benefits from walking aid use to facilitate activity are available, but evidence suggests that nonweightbearing (NWB) ambulation to completely offload an injured lower limb using standard walking aids can cause axillary/hand pain or stance limb pain in 68% of users. 3,11,14 Major concerns are that walking aid selection may alter stance limb plantar force (SLPF), stepping frequency, and percentage of time weightbearing (% WB), and increase risk of injury. 7 Further, the increased physical demand of using standard walking aids, especially in older adults, negatively impacts user compliance and often results in patient discontinuance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of Walking Aid Selection for Nonweightbearing Ambulation on Stance Limb Plantar Force, Walking Speed, Perceived Exertion, and Device Preference in Healthy Adults 50 Years of Age and Older

Kingston

Ferwerda

Fontaine

et al. 2021

Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics

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Background: Young adults often tolerate the increased energy expenditure, coordination, and stance limb discomfort associated with walking aids for nonweightbearing ambulation. Adults aged ≥50 years may not have the same tolerance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine how walking aid selection affects stance limb plantar force, walking speed, perceived exertion, and device preference in adults aged ≥50 years. Methods: A prospective randomized crossover study was performed using healthy adults, aged ≥50 years, with no use of walking aids within 5 years. Participants walked 200 m in 4 randomized conditions: single nonweightbearing ambulation using crutches, a walker, a wheeled knee walker, and unaided walking. An in-shoe sensor measured stance limb plantar force, a stopwatch timed each walk, perceived exertion was reported using the BORG CR-10 scale, and device preference was identified. Results: Twenty-one participants (7 male; age: 56 ± 5 years; BMI: 26.6 ±1.9) showed stance limb plantar force was lowest when using a wheeled knee walker ( P < .001). Walking speed was similar in unaided and wheeled knee walker conditions (1.41 and 1.31 m/s), but slower with crutches or a walker (42%-68%, P < .001). Perceived exertion was similar in unaided and wheeled knee walker conditions (1.6 and 2.8), but higher with crutches or a walker (5.7 and 6.1, P < .001). Most (20/21) participants preferred the wheeled knee walker. Conclusions: Using a wheeled knee walker for nonweightbearing ambulation reduced stance limb plantar force, maintained unaided walking speed and perceived exertion, and was preferred to crutches or a walker. Level of Evidence: Level II, comparative study.

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Walking Aids for Enabling Activity and Participation

Cited by 66 publications

References 29 publications

Experiences of using an activating spinal orthosis in women with osteoporosis and back pain in primary care

Experiences of using an activating spinal orthosis in women with osteoporosis and back pain in primary care

A Smart Robotic Walker With Intelligent Close-Proximity Interaction Capabilities for Elderly Mobility Safety

Implications of Walking Aid Selection for Nonweightbearing Ambulation on Stance Limb Plantar Force, Walking Speed, Perceived Exertion, and Device Preference in Healthy Adults 50 Years of Age and Older

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