Stair climbing

About: Stair climbing is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1610 publications have been published within this topic receiving 30504 citations.

Analytical Review: Meta-Analysis Knee Kinematics and Joint Moments During Stair Negotiation in Participants With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficiency and Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Objective: Biomechanical changes have been reported for patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency (ACLD) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL reconstruction) (ACLR), likely due to loss of stability and changes in proprioception and neuromotor control. This review evaluated kinematics and kinetics of ACLD and ACLR knees, compared with those on the contralateral uninjured sides, as well as and those in asymptomatic controls during stair navigation. Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. Literature Survey: Electronic database searches were conducted from their original available dates to January 2015. Studies that included participants with ACLD or ACLR and reported knee joint angles or moments during stair ascent or descent were included. Methodology: Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of these was assessed with a modified Downs and Black checklist. Effect sizes for differences between injured leg and uninjured contralateral leg or controls were calculated, and meta-analyses were performed if two or more studies considered the same variable. Synthesis: Quality assessment showed an average (� standard deviation) of 70.3% � 7.2%. Meta-analysis showed less knee flexion at initial contact for ACLR knees compared with that in contralateral knees during stair ascent, with a moderate effect size and minimal heterogeneity. Knees with ACLD showed less peak knee flexion compared with that on contralateral sides during stair ascent, with minimal heterogeneity. External knee flexion moments were lower for ACLR compared with those in controls and contralateral sides during ascent and descent, whereas these moments were decreased for the ACLD compared with controls only during ascent. Meta-analysis results exhibited moderate/high heterogeneity or small/trivial effect sizes. Conclusions: Differences for kinematics and kinetics for the ACL-injured knees indicate long-term compensatory and asymmetric movement patterns while ascending and descending stairs. Due to the heterogeneity as well as the small numbers of available studies, the consequences of these differences in terms of long-term function or posttraumatic osteoarthritis need further exploration.

Portable power assisted shopping cart capable of climbing along stair railings

Abstract: Disclosed is a portable power assisted shopping cart capable of climbing along stair railings. The portable power assisted shopping cart capable of climbing along the stair railings comprises a climbing module, an extending bar module, a collecting module and a driving module, wherein the climbing module is provided with a light device, an alarming device and a control system and can achieve multiple functions during a climbing process; the driving device achieves automatic climbing along the stair railings through three different wheels; the extending bar module can effectively reduce the space occupation of the shopping cart; multifunctional partitions of the collecting module can effectively and reasonably arranged goods purchased by a user and reasonably collect the dismounted climbingmodule; the driving module controls transportation of the shopping cart on the ground through a remote control unit. The portable power assisted shopping cart capable of climbing along the stair railings achieves the functions of automatic climbing along the stair railings, being detachable and reasonably partitioning goods, reduces load born during stair climbing, reduces space occupation and improves the shopping efficiency.

Left-right-handed rotating helical wheel type stair climbing wheelchair

Abstract: The invention discloses a left-right-handed rotating helical wheel type stair climbing wheelchair The wheelchair comprises a wheelchair body, a rear wheel lifting mechanism, a stair climbing mechanism assembly, a connection component and an electric appliance control system, wherein the resultant force of a friction forward force of a left-handed rotating helical wheel with the stair surface when the left-handed rotating helical wheel in the stair climbing mechanism assembly rotates and a friction forward force of a right-handed rotating helical wheel with the stair surface when the right-handed rotating helical wheel in the stair climbing mechanism assembly rotates is used as the stair climbing power of the left-right-handed rotating helical wheel type stair climbing wheelchair, and then the wheelchair is driven to go upstairs and downstairs; the friction component force, vertical to the stair surface and the forward direction, of the left-handed rotating helical wheel when the left-handed rotating helical wheel rotates is counteracted with the friction component force, vertical to the stair face and the forward direction, of the right-handed rotating helical wheel when the right-handed rotating helical wheel rotates; and the rear wheel lifting mechanism adopts a chain transmission and screw-and-nut transmission combined structure, so that conversion between flat road traveling action and climbing action of the stair climbing wheelchair can be easily implemented The left-right-handed rotating helical wheel type stair climbing wheelchair is simple in structure and easy to manufacture

Metabolic energy expenditure during ambulation using axillary crutches and a hands-free crutch.

Abstract: Ambulation using axillary crutches (AC) is associated with increased energy expenditure (EE) and decreased gait speed compared to unassisted walking. A hands-free crutch (HFC) may represent an alternative to AC to decrease EE for those requiring assistive devices. Therefore, the PURPOSE of this randomized order, crossover-design study was to determine the differences in EE between AC and HFC ambulation. METHODS: To date, five healthy (BMI < 30 kg/m2) male and female adults (mean ± SD: age: 21 ± 1 years; height: 171.9 ± 10.4 cm; weight: 74.16 ± 10.46 kg) completed a 6-minute walk at 50 m/min, an activities of daily living (ADL) course, and a two-flight stair climb with AC, HFC, and unassisted walking. The order of trial conditions was randomized. EE during each condition was obtained through indirect calorimetry utilizing the COSMED K4b2 portable metabolic system. Unpaired t-tests were performed to compare EE between the assistive devices and unassisted walking. RESULTS: For the 50 m/min paced 6-minute walk, EE for unassisted walking (3.06 ± 0.37 kcal/min) was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than EE for HFC (5.33 ± 1.27 kcal/min) and AC (7.35 ± 0.80 Kcal/min). Additionally, EE for the 50 m/min walk was significantly (p = 0.03) lower for HFC than AC. EE for unassisted stair climbing (3.30 ± 1.07 kcal/min) was significantly (p = 0.049) lower than EE for AC stair climbing (4.74 ± 0.61 kcal/min), but not statistically different (p = 0.47) for HFC stair climbing (3.83 ± 1.09 Kcal/min). EE for the unassisted (3.46 ± 0.41 kcal/min) ADL course was significantly lower than EE for AC (5.31 ± 0.64 kcal/min) and HFC (5.11 ± 0.34 kcal/min) during the ADL course. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary findings suggest that HFC may offer a more energy efficient alternative to AC during ambulation. For ADLs, no conclusive differences were found between AC and HFC for EE with these data. Continued recruitment and testing of 20 participants will permit stronger conclusions.