Estimation of the Coordination Variability Between Pelvis-Thigh Segments During Gait at Different Walking Speeds in Sedentary Young People and Practitioners of Physical Activities

The aim of this study was to analyze the variability of coordination during gait of sedentary young people and practitioners of physical activities, at different speeds (Preferred walk speed (PWS), 120% of PWS and 80% of PWS) using the Vector Coding technique (VC). Thirty young people participated in this study, of which 15 are sedentary and 15 practiced exercise regularly at least three times a week. They performed a protocol of walking 1 min at each speed for data collection on a treadmill in a randomized order. For the Pelvis-Thigh segment, the angles were computed during four phases of the gait (first double support, single support, second double support, and swing) in the sagittal plane. The data were analyzed with a customized MatLab code. Significant differences were observed in 120% and 80% of the PWS for both groups, with greater variability in 80% of the PWS, suggesting that walking at slower speeds is a greater challenge for the neuromuscular system, when compared to higher speeds.