Influence of Kyphosis Posture on Lower Extremity Joint Moment Power during Walking

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to investigate the effect of kyphosis alignment during walking on lower extremity joint power at the stance phase in healthy participants. The composite components of lower extremity joint power in three axial directions were calculated by using a three-dimensional motion analyzer in 15 healthy adult male participants. Two postural conditions, viz., a normal posture (normal posture) and a kyphosis posture with a brace (kyphosis posture), were used. The average and maximum values of joint power in the early, mid, and terminal phases of stance were compared. In the early stance phase, the average, and maximum values of lower extremity joint power were significantly different at the hip and knee joints. The hip joint power was significantly different in the terminal stance phase. The values of hip and knee joint power were significantly different in the terminal stance phase. The workload and work rate increased with hip power in the normal posture and with knee power in the kyphosis posture.