Table 2 Nine walking skills experienced by participants in the HF + C group
Task | Delivery mechanism | Mobility dimension |
|---|---|---|
Hurdles | A pliable hurdle positioned in front of participant’s paretic & nonparetic limb for 5 min each; challenge increased through raising hurdle height | terrain characteristics |
Foam Shoes | 3- or 6-in. foam blocks strapped to the bottom of participants’ shoes; challenge increased by using thicker foam or walking faster | terrain characteristics |
Backward Walking | Participants walked backward; challenge increased by faster speeds | postural transitions |
Head Turns | Participants asked to look in 4 different directions (i.e., up, down, left, or right) for 10s each; increased challenge through nodding head up/down & left/right for 10s each | attentional demands |
Backward Perturbation | Participants exposed to sudden brief accelerations of the treadmill belt, of sufficient magnitude to disturb forward progression; challenge increased through larger accelerations | postural transitions; external physical loads |
Speed Up/ Slow Down | Participants walked at double their CWS for 10s & then recovered at their CWS for 20s; challenge increased if CWS increased | time constraints; postural transitions |
Variable Speeds | Participants walked at a variety of randomly selected speeds between 0.2 m/s < daily CWS and 0.2 m/s > daily CWS; challenge increased if CWS increased | postural transitions |
Narrow Stepping | Participants walked in ambient lighting conditions while keeping their feet within a narrow area of the treadmill belt designated by laser light beams; challenge increased through narrowing lights | terrain characteristics; ambient lighting |
Long Stepping | Participants walked in ambient lighting conditions while taking long steps with both feet over a laser beam placed in front of them; challenge increased by moving laser farther away | terrain characteristics; ambient lighting |