Effect of gait types and external weight carrying strategies on the femoral neck strains during stair descent

Gait and weight carrying method may change the femoral neck load during stair descent. Applying specific gait and weight carrying methods may reduce the femoral neck load during stair descent, which may reduce hip pain, hip pain related falls and fall related fractures for the older population. The purpose of this study was to test the effect of different gait types (step-over-step v.s. step-by-step) and external weight carrying strategies (ipsilateral v.s. contralateral side) on the femoral neck load, discover which method could reduce the femoral neck load effectively. Seventeen healthy adults from 50 to 70 yrs old were recruited. The kinematic and kinetic analysis, musculoskeletal modelling method were used to estimate the joint and muscle loads for the lower extremities. Finite element analysis was used with the femur model to calculate the femoral neck strains during stair descent with different gait types and weight carrying strategies. The compressive strains were reduced for step-by-step gait method than step-over-step (p<0.015, 12.3–17.4% decrease of strains), the tensile strains were significantly increased for the trailing leg of step-by-step than the leading leg (p<0.001, 24.7% increase of strains). Contralateral weight carrying increased compressive and tensile strains than ipsilateral (p<0.001, 9.9–24.5% increase of strains) in most conditions. Applying step-by-step method and avoiding contralateral side weight carrying could be effective to reduce femoral neck strains. These outcomes could be helpful for the older population to reduce the risks of hip pain, femoral neck pain or pain related falls and fractures.