Abstract
The walking metabolism of physically handicapped persons, including extremities amputation, cerebral infantile paralysis, progressive muscular atrophy and cogenital extremities deformity was measured, in order to estimate their energy consumption in walking, and compare their energy consumption with that of healthy persons.
The energy consumption rate of working metabolism is generally expressed here in Japan as Relative Metabolic Rate (RMR), which eliminates individual difference in working metabolism.
R.M.R=Energy consumption during work-Energy consumption in resting/Basal metabolism
In case of the extremities amputation subjects the RMR of walking (speed 31-50m/min.) ranged from 1.96-5.99, which in case of monolateral amputation subjects was about twice higher and in bilateral amputation nearly four times higher as compared with values of healthy people.
In case of the cerebral paralysis, extremities deformity and muscular atrophy subjects, RMR values were 4.4, 3.6 and 2.8 respectively. Accordingly, among them the cerebral paralysis subjects need most energy to walk.
