Book chapter
Increased Step Width During Walking as Pregnancy Progresses: Functional or Mechanical Adaptation?
Women's Health and Biomechanics, pp.109-119
Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics, Springer International Publishing
2018
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Abstract
Women change their gait as pregnancy progresses. It is known biomechanical adaptions occur; however, the etiology of these adaptations is unknown. A common suggestion is that the adaptations, such as increased step width, are a functional response to control stability. Nevertheless, step width is also affected by trunk segment kinematics which are themselves also altered as pregnancy progresses. Step width is also affected by mechanical obstruction when the girth of the thigh is increased. Therefore, the changes seen in step width may be of mechanical rather than functional origins. The objective of this chapter is to investigate the etiology of the step width adaptation as pregnancy progresses and its resolution post-birth. It includes discussion on the temporospatial and trunk segment kinematic adaptions as pregnancy progresses and the effect of parity. The mechanical obstruction by increased thigh girth is a likely explanation for increased step width in late pregnancy. The mechanical effect of altered trunk mechanics may also affect step width as pregnancy progresses. Thus, increased step width as pregnancy progresses is a mechanical adaptation rather than a functional adaptation to increase stability. The effect from previous pregnancy may be less important than the individual’s differences in adaptations.
Details
- Title
- Increased Step Width During Walking as Pregnancy Progresses: Functional or Mechanical Adaptation?
- Creators
- Wendy L Gilleard - School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia
- Publication Details
- Women's Health and Biomechanics, pp.109-119
- Series
- Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing; Cham
- Identifiers
- 991012927073602368
- Copyright
- (c) Springer International Publishing AG 2018.
- Academic Unit
- Emeritus Faculty; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter