Sharp turning and corner turning: Comparison of energy expenditure, gait parameters, and level of fatigue among community-dwelling elderly

• Published in: BioMed Research International
• Main Author: Justine M.; Manaf H.; Sulaiman A.; Razi S.; Alias H.A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2014
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84902262323&doi=10.1155%2f2014%2f640321&partnerID=40&md5=4899e7457018b01d779e9447885a95aa

This study compares energy expenditure (EE), gait parameters (GP), and level of fatigue (LOF) between 5-minute walking with sharp turning (ST) and corner turning (CT). Data were obtained from 29 community-dwelling elderly (mean age, 62.7 ± 3.54 years). For 5 minutes, in ST task, participants walked on a 3-meter pathway with 2 cones placed at each end (180° turning), while in CT task, participants walked on a 6-meter pathway with 4 cones placed at 4 corners (90° turning). The physiological cost index, pedometer, and 10-point Modified Borg Dyspnoea Scale were used to measure EE (beats/min), GP (no of steps), and LOF, respectively. Data were analyzed by using independent t -tests. EE during ST (0.62 ± 0.21 beats/min) was significantly higher than CT (0.48 ± 0.17 beats/min) (P < 0.05). GP (434 ± 92.93 steps) and LOF (1.40 ± 1.11) in ST were found to be lower compared to GP (463 ± 92.18 steps) and LOF (1.54 ± 1.34) in CT (All, P > 0.05). Higher EE in ST could be due to the difficulty in changing to a 180° direction, which may involve agility and different turning strategies (step-turn or pivot-turn) to adjust the posture carefully. In CT, participants could choose a step-turn strategy to change to a 90° direction, which was less challenging to postural control. © 2014 Maria Justine et al.