Abstract Summary
The present work compares the anticipatory postural adjustments in forward and backward stepping, taking also into account the effect of wearing shoes while performing this task. Eighteen healthy subjects participated in the study, performing 10 trials on a forceplate for each of the four conditions. CoP displacement parameters as well as coefficient of variation were calculated to characterise the tasks. Statistical analysis supported the original hypothesis that FW and BW stepping differ in several parameters (i.e. ML/AP displacement and mean velocity) as well as in their variability. Although more research is needed, this work offers a first contribution to the characterisation of BW step in healthy people, as a necessary step towards the adoption of this motor paradigm in clinical assessments.
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