Haptic biofeedback induces changes in ankle push-off during walking

BackgroundAnkle push-off drives forward progression during gait. Reduced peak ankle moment and peak ankle power may contribute to the increased metabolic cost of walking observed in certain clinical populations. Biofeedback is an effective gait training tool, however biofeedback targeting ankle moment has not been previously studied.Research QuestionDoes haptic biofeedback directly targeting ankle moment enable able-bodied adults to modulate peak ankle moment during gait?Methods20 able-bodied adults participated in the study. Participants completed a 90-second baseline walking trial, followed by two 2-minute trials with haptic biofeedback. Haptic biofeedback guided participants to either increase peak ankle moment (Feedback High), or decrease peak ankle moment (Feedback Low). Ten participants received haptic biofeedback alone; the other ten participants additionally received verbal suggestions of movement strategies they could adopt during the biofeedback trials. Two-way analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of walking condition and verbal instruction on key gait parameters.ResultsA main effect of walking condition on peak ankle moment and peak ankle power was observed (all P < 0.001). Peak ankle moment did not change from baseline during Feedback High, however peak ankle power was increased (P < 0.001). A decrease in peak ankle moment and peak ankle power was observed during Feedback Low (all P < 0.001). Verbal instruction had a significant interaction effect with walking condition in only a limited number of parameters (all P < 0.05).SignificanceThis study demonstrates the effects of haptic biofeedback targeting peak ankle moment during gait. While this study demonstrates that able-bodied individuals have some capacity to modulate their gait pattern in response to direct biofeedback on ankle moment, further investigation is required to develop a biofeedback paradigm that can increase peak ankle moment.