2009 Volume 54 Issue 4 Pages 253-258
This study aimed to examine the effect of email manipulation with a mobile phone on gait when going up and down stairs. Fifteen healthy young males went up and down a set of four steps twice under two conditions, with and without using a mobile phone. Stride time, stance time, swing time, stride width, gait angle and toe angle were evaluated. Stride time, stance time and swing time while using a mobile phone were significantly longer than in the normal condition. Swing time was significantly longer when going up than when going down the set of stairs, but stride width, gait angle and toe angle were significantly longer when going down the set of stairs. In conclusion, using a mobile phone when going up and down stairs delays gait velocity and gait tempo. In addition, regardless of mobile phone use, gait patterns differ when going up or down stairs, as a more stable posture is maintained when going down stairs.