Influence of kyphosis posture on postural control and lower limb mechanical load immediately after stopping walking

Abstract

[Purpose] This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of joint moment and force for postural control performance after stopping walking under two conditions. [Participants and Methods] A total of 18 healthy males participated in this study. The joint moment and power were compared between the normal and kyphosis postures after stopping walking based on the critical time interval as calculated by stabilogram diffusion analysis. [Results] The polarity of the joint moment in both postures was different in the knee and hip extension–flexion directions, the absolute value being higher in the kyphosis posture than in the normal one. The hip and knee joint powers were negative in the normal posture but positive in the kyphosis posture; these values were higher in the kyphosis posture than the normal one. [Conclusion] The polarity of the joint moment of the hip and knee joints in the direction of flexion and extension differed from the normal one due to the postural changes caused by the kyphosis posture. The postural controls between the two conditions were considered different. The leading limb was thought to be an important braking action in stopping walking.