The Effect of a Cognitive Dual Task on the Control of Minimum Toe Clearance While Walking

I got nothing out of this, but maybe our stroke leaders could inform us if this testing needs to be followed up with stroke patients.  Do our stroke leaders have any way for stroke survivors to contact them?

The Effect of a Cognitive Dual Task on the Control of Minimum Toe Clearance While Walking 

Daniel Hamacher ,^*1 , Dennis Hamacher ,^*2 , Roy Müller ,^*1,3 , Lutz Schega ,^*2 , Show all authors

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Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Pages: 344-353

https://doi.org/10.1123/mc.2018-0006

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The aim of the current study was to evaluate the effect of a cognitive dual task on minimum toe clearance (MTC) variability while walking. In a randomized cross-over design, gait kinematics of 25 older (70 ± 6 years) and 45 younger adults (25 ± 2 years) were captured during normal walking and dual-task walking. Variability of stride time, stride length, and MTC were calculated. Differences between normal versus dual-task walking were assessed using Wilcoxon tests. Compared with normal walking, dual-task walking caused an increase in stride time variability (older adults: p < .001 and younger adults: p < .001), while the variability of MTC decreased (older adults: p = .032 and younger adults: p = .012). MTC seems to be a task-relevant gait parameter that is controlled with high priority to preserve its variability under challenging conditions.