COMPARISON OF DYNAMIC STABILITY DURING WALKING AND RUNNING ON NONMOTORIZED CURVED TREADMILL ACCORDING TO CURVATURE RADIUS

Abstract

It is generally believed that running on a curved surface is more unstable than running on a flat surface. In this study, the dynamic stability of locomotion on a nonmotorized curved treadmill (NMCT) with three curvature radii was compared with that on a motorized flat treadmill. Sixteen healthy adult men maintained four different self-paced speeds: slow walking, fast walking, jogging, and running. Significant differences were statistically verified using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) according to the curvature radii and speeds, and the interaction effects were confirmed. Furthermore, to understand the significant differences between the speed and curvature radius, post hoc analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA. Except for the step width, the other parameters showed differences and correlation effects between the curvature radius and speed. As the curvature radius decreased, the stability decreased at slow speeds (slow walking) but increased at fast speeds (running). However, as the curvature radius increased, the stability increased at slow speeds (slow walking) but decreased at high speeds (running). The study results will help in suggesting the appropriate curvature radius for different user types such as athletes, the elderly, and people who require rehabilitation and will serve as preliminary data for designing the curvature radii of NMCTs.