Abstract
Physiological Cost Index (PCI) can be interpreted as an index for the movement efficiency, and is caluculated by the following formula: (HR during walking - HR at rest)/walking speed per min. A healthy female subject participated in this study and the relation between walking speed and PCI was examined. It was elucidated that; 1) subject showed most favorable PCI at her comfortable walking speed, 2) PCI tended to increase at higher or lower walking speed than comfortable speed, showing a lower efficiency, and 3) the relation between walking speed and PCI can be described on a regression curve of a quadratic polynominal expression in case the measurement was done more than 5 times. This suggests that PCI can be predicted at any walking speed.
