Effects of Different Load Carriage on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters in Elite Intervention Police Officers

Abstract

Carrying heavy loads may present certain biomechanical changes in special populations. However, most of the existing research on whether or not different external loads impact gait biomechanics has been conducted in military personnel, while the same changes have been relatively unknown in other populations, such as police officers. In order to maximize the importance of load ergonomics and design, it is necessary to establish both spatial and temporal gait changes under different load conditions in a variety of high-risk jobs, in order to detect which parameters are the most important for special interventions and policies. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine changes in spatial and temporal gait parameters under different loading conditions. Ninety-six intervention police officers were recruited and evaluated. Zebris FDM pedobarographic platform was used to assess spatial and temporal gait changes gradual increases in load carriage significantly increased cadence (p = 0.024, η2 = 0.029), stance-phase for left (p = 0.046, η2 = 0.024) and right foot (p = 0.019, η2 = 0.030), and load response for left (p = 0.044, η2 = 0.025) and right foot (p = 0.033, η2 = 0.027), while decreases in step time for left foot (p = 0.024, η2 = 0.029), and swing phase for left (p = 0.047, η2 = 0.024) and right foot (p = 0.047, η2 = 0.024) were observed. No significant changes in spatial gait parameters occurred when carrying heavier loads. In conclusion, increases in external loads lead to larger changes in temporal, but not in spatial foot characteristics during gait. Thus, temporal gait parameters may be more prone to changes when carrying heavy loads.