5 ms·

Study finds way to make walking easier

bklaasen 5y ago
It involves a tether providing precisely-timed tugs: "“When we walk, there is a short period between steps where one foot is stopping its forward motion while the other is preparing to accelerate to take the next step forward. Our research shows that this brief window where both feet are on the ground is the best time to apply force to assist walking most efficiently,” said Philippe Malcolm, Ph.D., assistant professor in biomechanics at UNO and lead investigator of the study. The device works by providing timed pulls from a motorized pulley while an individual walks on a treadmill. Since it only requires wearing a waist belt, it is relatively easy to make individualized adjustments compared to more complicated devices."
- Maursault 5y ago
  Kind of a rip-off, was hoping for an unassisted walking technique. One could also strap on balloons to lift some of one's weight, and use a giant fan, also held buoyant from balloons, pull forward to assist in walking. Or, one could use a bus, which at 50mph could pull you up a hill by the time you walked from the back of the bus to the front. Where are my research grants?
  - fattless 5y ago
    Fair, but consider its use in rehabilitation. Ive recently had ACL surgery, and you essentially have to learn how to walk all over again, not to mention the pain and how little weight you can put onto it at first. In order to properly walk and run again, I used a treadmill with essentially a large bag on it which inflated, lifting you slightly. This put less weight on your legs, allowing you to walk and run with proper form and speed up recovery, it was crucial for me learning to run again. (It was an AlterG device btw) Was I “cheating”? Kinda, but that’s not the point. This device can help patients with low mobility. The article lays out both how it works and its potential use case.
- smm11 5y ago
  I can walk faster when walking my large dog and he sees a squirrel. Nothing new here.
wing-_-nuts 5y ago
I have cerebral palsy. My walking endurance is limited to about a mile. I suppose this would be a good way to extend that (at least, on a treadmill). I see this as sort of like doing 'cheater' pullups where you're pulling in at an angle and letting your legs support some of your weight. You're still exercising the same muscle groups as walking, but it's easier. If you can only walk for 15 minutes normally, you might be able to do the full recommended 30 with this. Of course, you could always just switch exercises if you're looking for generic cardio. A lot of folks that can't walk well can easily use a stationary bike, but that's not going to work the same muscle groups.
- falcolas 5y ago
  The "fat person walk" or "penguin walk" is also quite energy efficient, where the body weight is moved between feet in a much more exaggerated fashion. Ironically, it's also safer on slick ice.
thisistheend123 5y ago
- taormina 5y ago
  Have you heard of physical therapy? Or the elderly? Obviously just walking is an answer for the healthy and able-bodied, but you're going to be old one day too.
  - bobthepanda 5y ago
    You don‘t even have to be old! In the US, 100,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries happen a year and all of those people will need to reteach their new ACL how to walk.
zabzonk 5y ago
Not convinced. I have had mobility problems for some years, and the basic problem is not walking (though that is difficult, but I can sort of cope) but if I were to fall down, could I get up again? I'm a large (6foot 2) and quite heavy man, and despite good intentions, most individuals could not get me on my feet after a fall. I use walking stick, frame and mobility scooter, but the fear of falling is always on my mind. In the bungalow (single storey) I live in I have improvised a ramp system to help me get up if I fall, and it does work fairly well, but obviously not outside on the street. Having supported (physically and mentally) my very wobbly mother up to her death, I can attest that it's falling, not walking that is problem that primarily needs to be addressed.
- bobthepanda 5y ago
  It sounds like you have a different problem than what the study authors are trying to address. Which is OK, there are a wide variety of mobility issues and few treatments are totally universal. This seems more useful for things like walking as part of physical rehab, which is fairly common.
  - zabzonk 5y ago
    My Mum had two hip repacements and was given lots of rehab therapy regarding to walking, and she could walk more or less OK. But there was none regarding to falling over, which was her real problem.
    - ianai 5y ago
      It’s definitely known that balance matters a lot. I’ve seen many articles and media about the dangers of falls and balance. I wonder if though balance is something that needs to be addressed over a lifetime. It probably involves a huge number of muscles and systems that take years or a lifetime to develop.
    - bobthepanda 5y ago
      YMMV depending on the place. When I had an ACL replacement I spent a lot of time struggling on one-legged bosu ball balancing and doing ladder drills bouncing off the good and bad legs.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
kmtrowbr 5y ago
It is very similar to the role of walking sticks (trekking poles) in long distance walking -- the poles serve a few functions, in reverse order of importance: 3) Potent threat / weapon agains dogs or strangers (this has only been useful a few times in many years but, still it's nice to have a big stick in your hand sometimes). 2) Keep yourself from falling if you slip or on challenging terrain, which means you can take more risks and move faster. ... but by far the most useful is: 1) As you are walking, you push yourself forward at the top of your stride. There is a moment where the big muscle in your arm can be put to use, basically making walking "feel" about 15% easier. It makes walking into more of a whole body effort, so you can go faster and further without getting tired.
- bin_bash 5y ago
  Also when descending a hill they dramatically reduce the strain on your joints
  - kmtrowbr 5y ago
    You're right! That's benefit #4. I suppose it's different for each person, depending upon their age their health. For me, sometimes it's easier to just kinda, jog or sorta, "controlled fall" down the hill, in this case, the walking sticks should be held in your hand. But at other times, you go slow and lever yourself down with the poles. Of course, the big downside of the poles if that you're constantly fiddling with them. They're noisy and take effort.
- kkfx 5y ago
  Sorry, but I laugh... walking sticks for self-defense? They are light Al, not ancient sword or halberds or modern shock-sticks. The #2 is even dangerous, because if you fall badly on a stick you might get hurt far badly than a direct fall, see ski accidents as an example.
  - kmtrowbr 5y ago
    I am not a violent person. I always seek to de-escalate at every turn & I'm very good at it. Most incidents turn on the smallest details. A 4' metal pole with a sharp point on the end is a very meaningful thing to have in your hand. 99% of any incidents will be with dogs. So it's more about appearing big and formidable than it is actually needing to fight. Do not run. Stand, brandish your weapon, and make noise. People aren't that different from dogs. This is one of nature's strategies: appear big & scary. If you were hiking and descending many challenging pistes with slippery rocks and whatnot, you would be happy to have a walking stick to help you.

It involves a tether providing precisely-timed tugs: "“When we walk, there is a short period between steps where one foot is stopping its forward motion while the other is preparing to accelerate to take the next step forward. Our research shows that this brief window where both feet are on the ground is the best time to apply force to assist walking most efficiently,” said Philippe Malcolm, Ph.D., assistant professor in biomechanics at UNO and lead investigator of the study. The device works by providing timed pulls from a motorized pulley while an individual walks on a treadmill. Since it only requires wearing a waist belt, it is relatively easy to make individualized adjustments compared to more complicated devices."

Maursault 5y ago
Kind of a rip-off, was hoping for an unassisted walking technique. One could also strap on balloons to lift some of one's weight, and use a giant fan, also held buoyant from balloons, pull forward to assist in walking. Or, one could use a bus, which at 50mph could pull you up a hill by the time you walked from the back of the bus to the front. Where are my research grants?
- fattless 5y ago
  Fair, but consider its use in rehabilitation. Ive recently had ACL surgery, and you essentially have to learn how to walk all over again, not to mention the pain and how little weight you can put onto it at first. In order to properly walk and run again, I used a treadmill with essentially a large bag on it which inflated, lifting you slightly. This put less weight on your legs, allowing you to walk and run with proper form and speed up recovery, it was crucial for me learning to run again. (It was an AlterG device btw) Was I “cheating”? Kinda, but that’s not the point. This device can help patients with low mobility. The article lays out both how it works and its potential use case.
smm11 5y ago
I can walk faster when walking my large dog and he sees a squirrel. Nothing new here.

wing-_-nuts 5y ago

I have cerebral palsy. My walking endurance is limited to about a mile. I suppose this would be a good way to extend that (at least, on a treadmill). I see this as sort of like doing 'cheater' pullups where you're pulling in at an angle and letting your legs support some of your weight. You're still exercising the same muscle groups as walking, but it's easier. If you can only walk for 15 minutes normally, you might be able to do the full recommended 30 with this. Of course, you could always just switch exercises if you're looking for generic cardio. A lot of folks that can't walk well can easily use a stationary bike, but that's not going to work the same muscle groups.

falcolas 5y ago
The "fat person walk" or "penguin walk" is also quite energy efficient, where the body weight is moved between feet in a much more exaggerated fashion. Ironically, it's also safer on slick ice.

thisistheend123 5y ago

taormina 5y ago
Have you heard of physical therapy? Or the elderly? Obviously just walking is an answer for the healthy and able-bodied, but you're going to be old one day too.
- bobthepanda 5y ago
  You don‘t even have to be old! In the US, 100,000 ACL reconstruction surgeries happen a year and all of those people will need to reteach their new ACL how to walk.

zabzonk 5y ago

Not convinced. I have had mobility problems for some years, and the basic problem is not walking (though that is difficult, but I can sort of cope) but if I were to fall down, could I get up again? I'm a large (6foot 2) and quite heavy man, and despite good intentions, most individuals could not get me on my feet after a fall. I use walking stick, frame and mobility scooter, but the fear of falling is always on my mind. In the bungalow (single storey) I live in I have improvised a ramp system to help me get up if I fall, and it does work fairly well, but obviously not outside on the street. Having supported (physically and mentally) my very wobbly mother up to her death, I can attest that it's falling, not walking that is problem that primarily needs to be addressed.

bobthepanda 5y ago
It sounds like you have a different problem than what the study authors are trying to address. Which is OK, there are a wide variety of mobility issues and few treatments are totally universal. This seems more useful for things like walking as part of physical rehab, which is fairly common.
- zabzonk 5y ago
  My Mum had two hip repacements and was given lots of rehab therapy regarding to walking, and she could walk more or less OK. But there was none regarding to falling over, which was her real problem.
  - ianai 5y ago
    It’s definitely known that balance matters a lot. I’ve seen many articles and media about the dangers of falls and balance. I wonder if though balance is something that needs to be addressed over a lifetime. It probably involves a huge number of muscles and systems that take years or a lifetime to develop.
  - bobthepanda 5y ago
    YMMV depending on the place. When I had an ACL replacement I spent a lot of time struggling on one-legged bosu ball balancing and doing ladder drills bouncing off the good and bad legs.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

kmtrowbr 5y ago

It is very similar to the role of walking sticks (trekking poles) in long distance walking -- the poles serve a few functions, in reverse order of importance: 3) Potent threat / weapon agains dogs or strangers (this has only been useful a few times in many years but, still it's nice to have a big stick in your hand sometimes). 2) Keep yourself from falling if you slip or on challenging terrain, which means you can take more risks and move faster. ... but by far the most useful is: 1) As you are walking, you push yourself forward at the top of your stride. There is a moment where the big muscle in your arm can be put to use, basically making walking "feel" about 15% easier. It makes walking into more of a whole body effort, so you can go faster and further without getting tired.

bin_bash 5y ago
Also when descending a hill they dramatically reduce the strain on your joints
- kmtrowbr 5y ago
  You're right! That's benefit #4. I suppose it's different for each person, depending upon their age their health. For me, sometimes it's easier to just kinda, jog or sorta, "controlled fall" down the hill, in this case, the walking sticks should be held in your hand. But at other times, you go slow and lever yourself down with the poles. Of course, the big downside of the poles if that you're constantly fiddling with them. They're noisy and take effort.
kkfx 5y ago
Sorry, but I laugh... walking sticks for self-defense? They are light Al, not ancient sword or halberds or modern shock-sticks. The #2 is even dangerous, because if you fall badly on a stick you might get hurt far badly than a direct fall, see ski accidents as an example.
- kmtrowbr 5y ago
  I am not a violent person. I always seek to de-escalate at every turn & I'm very good at it. Most incidents turn on the smallest details. A 4' metal pole with a sharp point on the end is a very meaningful thing to have in your hand. 99% of any incidents will be with dogs. So it's more about appearing big and formidable than it is actually needing to fight. Do not run. Stand, brandish your weapon, and make noise. People aren't that different from dogs. This is one of nature's strategies: appear big & scary. If you were hiking and descending many challenging pistes with slippery rocks and whatnot, you would be happy to have a walking stick to help you.