Affiliations: [a] Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School, Inje University, Gimhae, Korea | [b] Department of Physical Therapy, College of Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA | [c] Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Inje University, Gyeongsangnam-Do, Korea
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Jae Seop Oh, PT. PhD., Department of Physical Therapy, College of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Inje University, 607 Obang-Dong, Gimhae-Si, Gyeongsangnam-Do, 621-740, Korea. Tel.: +82 55 320 3679; Fax: +82 55 329 1678; E-mail: ysrehab@inje.ac.kr
Abstract: Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine whether strap length influences the trunk motion and gait symmetry of the ground reaction forces while walking with a single-strap bag. Methods:Seventeen Korean women participated in this study. The kinematics of trunk motion and ground-reaction forces was recorded while the participants walked at a self-paced speed under three conditions: no bag, a short-strap bag and a long-strap bag. Results:The amplitude of trunk rotation on the ipsilateral side (the bag side) decreased while walking with a short-strap bag compared to walking with a long-strap bag or no bag (p< 0.05). The amplitude of trunk lateral bending toward the contralateral side and asymmetry in the mediolateral ground-reaction force significantly increased while walking with a long-strap bag compared to walking with a short-strap bag or no bag (p< 0.05). Conclusions:These results demonstrate that carrying a long-strap bag during walking resulted in increased trunk lateral bending and asymmetry in the mediolateral ground-reaction forces. It is therefore important to select the correct strap length when carrying a single-strap bag to prevent musculoskeletal disorders.
