The Effect of Walking Backward on a Treadmill on Balance, Speed of Walking and Cardiopulmonary Fitness for Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study

This study determines the effect of walking backward on a treadmill on balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness for patients with chronic stroke. Subjects with chronic stroke for more than six months, whose level of Brunnstrom stage is greater than IV and who are able to walk more than eleven meters with or without assistive devices were recruited. After grouping for a single-blind clinical randomized controlled trial, the subjects were divided into two groups: eight in the control group and eight in the experimental group. All subjects were subjected to 30 min traditional physical therapy, three times a week for four weeks. The experimental group was subjected to an additional 30 min of walking backward on a treadmill. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were used to determine the functional balance and walking ability. The walking speed was evaluated using a timed 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), and the cardiopulmonary fitness was determined using a 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) and a pulmonary function test (PFT). All assessments were made at baseline before training commenced (pre-training) and at the end of the four-week training period (post-training). A paired t-test and an independent t-test were used to determine the effect on balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness before and after training. The level of significance α was 0.05. After four weeks of training, the experimental group showed significant differences (p < 0.05) on TUG, BBS, 10MWT, 6MWT, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). This pilot study shows that the 30 min of walking backward on a treadmill three times a week for four weeks increased balance, speed of walking and cardiopulmonary fitness. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials NCT02619110.

Wearing Acceptability of Chemical Protective Clothing during Fire Training

The aim of this study was to investigate the wearing acceptability of chemical protective clothing during fires and to provide basic data for the safety of firefighters. The results of the study were as follows: Wearer acceptabilities of chemical protective clothing under static movement (e.g., looking at the ceiling with maximum head bending, wrapping one’s arms around oneself, sitting obliquely on the floor, and maintaining a crouching position) were 21.7%–47.8% lower than those of general uniforms. When wearing chemical protective suits, the acceptability under static movement was statistically low (p < .001). Wearer acceptabilities of chemical protective clothing under dynamic movement (e.g., running, lifting a heavy object (20 kg) up to the waist, lifting and moving a heavy object (20 kg) by 1 m, lifting a stretcher and walking forward, and lifting a stretcher and walking backward) were 19.2%–47.8% lower than those of general uniforms. When wearing chemical protective suits, the acceptability under dynamic movement was also statistically low (p < .001).

Effect of Perceptual Exercise Program on Basic Motor Skills in a Child with Intellectual Disability: Single Subject Research Design

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of perceptual exercise program on basic motor skills in a child with intellectual disability.METHODS One child with intellectual disability was participated in this study. Perceptual exercise program was performed 60 minutes per session, twice a week for 32 weeks. To evaluate the basic motor skills of the subject pre and post the exercise, subject was measured in six areas of operational skills including throwing, catching, kicking, hitting, bouncing, and rolling; two areas of movement skills including balance beam, walking backward; and two areas of stabilization skills including standing with one leg and escaping.RESULTS The subject who participated in this study gained 60% throwing, 60% catching, 80% kicking, 60% hitting, 80% bouncing, and 60% rolling was increased respectively in the operational skills and 80% balance beam, 100% walking backward in the movement skills, and 80% standing with one leg, 100% escaping in the stabilization skills.CONCLUSIONS Those results show that perceptual exercise program was positive influence on operational skills, movement skills and stabilization skills in a child with intellectual disability.

Effect of biological maturation on gross motor coordination in boys: a mediation analysis

Introduction: The literature emphasizes the importance of acquiring good motor coordination in the early years of life and its relationship with physical fitness and physical activity during adolescence and adulthood. Objective: To analyze the effect of biological maturation on the motor coordination in boys. Method: The sample was composed by 203 boys between 11 and 14 years old. Height, body mass, sitting height, waist circumference (WC) and skinfolds were measured. Somatic maturation (SM) was assessed by maturity offset (estimated age at peak height velocity). The gross motor coordination was evaluated by Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) battery. Results: The SM exerted an effect on the walking backward on balance beams (WB) mediated by the WC. Conclusion: The results showed that the performance of boys in the WB was negatively influenced by the greater volume of fat in the trunk related to a more advanced state of SM.

Independent and Combined Effects of Biological Maturation and aerobic performance on the gross motor coordination in prepubertal girls

ABSTRACT The present study analyzed the effect of biological maturation on the performance in the test of gross motor coordination in girls, before and after having its effect controlled by body mass index (BMI) and aerobic performance. The sample was composed by 63 pre-pubertal girls (8.0-8.99 years). The girls who were less advanced in biological maturation presented lower body size and better physical performance in the tasks of walking backward on balance beams (t=2.706; p<0.01; d=0.70), moving sideways on boxes (t=2.128; p<0.05; d=0.48), hopping for height on one leg (t=2.076, p<0.05; d=0.54) and 20-m shuttle run (t=3.162; p <0.05; d=0.61). The maturation no longer influenced performance in the tasks of gross motor coordination when considering BMI and aerobic fitness.

How do backward walking ants (Cataglyphis velox) cope with navigational uncertainty?

ABSTRACTCurrent opinion in insect navigation assumes that animals need to align with the goal direction to recognise familiar views and approach it. Yet, ants sometimes drag heavy food items backward to the nest and it is still unclear to what extent they rely on visual memories while doing so. In this study displacement experiments and alterations of the visual scenery reveal that ants do indeed recognise and use the learnt visual scenery to guide their path while walking backward. In addition, the results show that backward homing ants estimate their directional certainty by combining visual familiarity with other cues such as their path integrator and the time spent backward. A simple model that combines path integration with repulsive and attractive visual memories captures the results.