PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Knee sleeves are commonly used to address knee-related concerns, particularly in older individuals. Although previous studies have demonstrated their efficacy in improving gait and functional outcomes in knees with pathological conditions, the effectiveness of knee sleeves for improving gait characteristics in healthy older adults remains unclear. The harmonic ratio (HR), an index for assessing gait symmetry commonly used to discriminate between individuals with different functional levels, can be used to detect alterations in gait characteristics. This study investigated the effects of knee sleeves on gait symmetry in healthy older adults. Sixteen healthy community-dwelling older adults walked barefoot with and without knee sleeves at normal and fast speeds. Gait symmetry indices (HR and improved HR [iHR]) and spatiotemporal gait parameters were compared under different conditions. A significant interaction between knee condition and walking speed was observed for mean iHR in the anteroposterior direction (p = 0.006). A significant simple main effect of knee condition was found during fast walking, with a larger iHR with knee sleeves than without (p = 0.002). In the condition without knee sleeves, the iHR was significantly lower during fast walking than during normal walking (p = 0.035). Furthermore, a significant main effect of knee condition was observed for the variability of iHR in the anteroposterior direction, with a smaller variability when walking with knee sleeves than when walking without (p = 0.006). These results suggest that knee sleeves may enhance gait symmetry along the anteroposterior direction, particularly during fast walking, where symmetry disruption is more likely than walking at a comfortable pace. A significant reduction in gait symmetry variability also suggests a stabilizing effect on gait dynamics. These findings provide the first evidence supporting the efficacy of knee sleeves for improving gait symmetry. The use of knee sleeves could be a valuable option for restoring disrupted gait symmetry during fast walking, with potential implications for reducing the risk of falls.
摘要：
膝关节袖通常用于解决与膝关节相关的问题，尤其是老年人。尽管先前的研究已经证明了它们在改善患有病理状况的膝盖的步态和功能结果方面的功效，膝关节袖对改善健康老年人步态特征的有效性尚不清楚.谐波比(HR)，一种用于评估步态对称性的指标，通常用于区分具有不同功能水平的个体，可用于检测步态特征的改变。这项研究调查了膝关节袖对健康老年人步态对称性的影响。16位健康的社区居住的老年人赤脚走路，有和没有膝盖袖子，以正常和快速的速度行走。比较不同条件下的步态对称指数（HR和改进的HR[iHR]）和时空步态参数。对于前后方向的平均iHR，观察到膝盖状况与步行速度之间的显着相互作用（p=0.006）。在快速步行过程中发现了膝盖状况的显着简单主要影响，有一个更大的iHR与膝盖袖子比没有（p=0.002）。在没有膝盖袖子的情况下，快速行走时iHR显著低于正常行走时(p=0.035).此外，膝关节状况的一个显著的主要影响是观察到iHR在前后方向的变异性，与不使用膝盖袖子行走相比，使用膝盖袖子行走时的变异性较小（p=0.006）。这些结果表明，膝盖袖子可以增强沿前后方向的步态对称性，特别是在快速行走时，对称破坏比以舒适的速度行走更有可能。步态对称性变异性的显着降低也表明了对步态动力学的稳定作用。这些发现提供了支持膝关节袖改善步态对称性的有效性的第一个证据。在快速行走过程中，使用膝盖袖子可能是恢复步态对称性的一个有价值的选择，对降低跌倒风险有潜在影响。
