Leg Length Inequality Effects on Ground and Lower Extremity Joint Reaction Forces during Walking

Authors

  • S.W.K. Ali Zabri School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia.
  • K.S. Basaruddin School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia.
  • A.F. Salleh School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia.
  • W.M.R. Rusli School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia.
  • S.N. Basah School of Mechatronic Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia.

Keywords:

Ground Reaction Force, Joint Reaction Force, Leg Length Inequality, Motion Capture System,

Abstract

Leg length discrepancy (LLD) is caused either due to functional disorder or shortening of bone structure. This disorder could contribute to the significant effects on body weight distribution and lumbar scoliosis to a certain extent. Ground reaction force and joint reaction force are the parameters that can be used to analyse the responses in weight distribution and kinetics changes on the body joints, respectively. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD) on ground reaction force (GRF) and joint reaction force (JRF) in subjects mimicking LLD. Plywood block was used to mimic the artificial LLD. The height of the plywood was increased up to 4.0 cm with 0.5 cm increment. Hence, eight different height of LLD was considered to investigate which height of LLD initiated the significant effect. The experiment was conducted on ten healthy subjects that are walking on the force plate in two conditions; without load and with a load of 2 kg. Qualisys Track Manager (QTM) system and Visual 3D Software were employed for data processing. The result showed that mean peak vertical GRF and JRF of the shorter leg was found carried more weight than the longer leg during walking without load and walking with the additional load, respectively. Also, mean peak vertical GRF and JRF were found carried more weight during walking with additional load compared to walking without load.

References

“Leg Length Discrepancy,” Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America, no. 847. pp. 698–1692.

S. T. McCaw and B. T. Bates, “Biomechanical implications of mild leg length inequality.,” Br. J. Sports Med., vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 10–3, 1991.

B. D. Castellano, “Significance of Minor Leg Length Discrepancy,” DPM, no. 35, pp. 178–182, 2011.

C. S. Pereira and I. D. C. N. Sacco, “Is Structural And Mild Leg Length Discrepancy Enough To Cause A Kinetic Change In Runners ’ Gait ?,” Therapy, vol. 16, pp. 28–31, 2008.

V. Swaminathan, M. Cartwright-Terry, J. D. Moorehead, A. Bowey, and S. J. Scott, “The effect of leg length discrepancy upon load distribution in the static phase (standing),” Gait Posture, vol. 40, no. 4, pp. 561–563, 2014.

A. C. Study, “Annals of Internal Medicine Article Association of LegLength Inequality With Knee Osteoarthritis,” Ann. Intern. Med., 2010.

A. Ali, M. Walsh, T. O’Brien, and B. D. Dimitrov, “The importance of submalleolar deformity in determining leg length discrepancy,” Surgeon, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 201–205, 2014.

S. SI, “Limb length discrepancies of the lower extremity (the short leg syndrome),” J Orthop Sport Phys Ther, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 11–16, 1981.

R. D. Gurney AB, Mermier CM, Robergs RA, Gibson AL, “Effects of leg length discrepancy on gait economy and lower extremity muscle activity in older adults,” J Bone Jt. Surg Am, no. 83, pp. 907–15, 2001.

T. J. Giles LG, “Low-back pain associated with leg length inequality,” Spine (Phila. Pa. 1976)., vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 510–521, 1981.

G. M. Golightly YM, Tate JJ, Burns CB, “Changes in pain and disability secondary to shoe lift intervention in subjects with limb length inequality and chronic low back pain: a preliminary report,” J Orthop S, no. 37, pp. 380–8, 2007.

D. J. Brunet ME, Cook SD, Brinker MR, “A survey of running injuries in 1505 competitive and recreational runners,” J Orthop Sport. Phys Ther, no. 30, pp. 307–15, 1990.

K. J. Murray and M. F. Azari, “Leg length discrepancy and osteoarthritis in the knee, hip and lumbar spine.,” J. Can. Chiropr. Assoc., vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 226–37, 2015.

A. Thote, R. Uddanwadiker, and A. Ramteke, “Simulation and Analysis of Leg Length Discrepancy and it’s Effect on Muscles,” Indian J. Sci. Technol., vol. 8, no. 17, pp. 1–7, 2015.

M. T. and T. Everett, “Ground reaction forces in gait,” in Human Movement, 5th Ed., United Kingdom, America: Elsevier, 2005, pp. 183–184.

M. Aiona, K. P. Do, K. Emara, R. Dorociak, and R. Pierce, “Gait patterns in children with limb length discrepancy,” J. Pediatr. Orthop., vol. 35, no. 3, pp. 280–284, 2015.

Downloads

Published

2018-05-30

How to Cite

Ali Zabri, S., Basaruddin, K., Salleh, A., Rusli, W., & Basah, S. (2018). Leg Length Inequality Effects on Ground and Lower Extremity Joint Reaction Forces during Walking. Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering (JTEC), 10(1-16), 141–145. Retrieved from https://jtec.utem.edu.my/jtec/article/view/4145

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 1-16: Recent Trends in Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies I

Section

Articles

License

TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHT AGREEMENT

The manuscript is herewith submitted for publication in the Journal of Telecommunication, Electronic and Computer Engineering (JTEC). It has not been published before, and it is not under consideration for publication in any other journals. It contains no material that is scandalous, obscene, libelous or otherwise contrary to law. When the manuscript is accepted for publication, I, as the author, hereby agree to transfer to JTEC, all rights including those pertaining to electronic forms and transmissions, under existing copyright laws, except for the following, which the author(s) specifically retain(s):

  1. All proprietary right other than copyright, such as patent rights
  2. The right to make further copies of all or part of the published article for my use in classroom teaching
  3. The right to reuse all or part of this manuscript in a compilation of my own works or in a textbook of which I am the author; and
  4. The right to make copies of the published work for internal distribution within the institution that employs me

I agree that copies made under these circumstances will continue to carry the copyright notice that appears in the original published work. I agree to inform my co-authors, if any, of the above terms. I certify that I have obtained written permission for the use of text, tables, and/or illustrations from any copyrighted source(s), and I agree to supply such written permission(s) to JTEC upon request.