Cadence (steps/min) as an indicator of the walk-to-run transition

Hum Mov Sci. 2023 Jun 17;90:103117. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2023.103117. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Humans naturally transition from walking to running at a point known as the walk-to-run transition (WRT). The WRT commonly occurs at a speed of ∼2.1 m/s (m/s) or a Froude number (dimensionless value considering leg length) of 0.5. Emerging evidence suggests the WRT can also be classified using a cadence of 140 steps/min. An accurate cadence-based WRT metric would aid in classifying wearable technology minute-level step metrics as walking vs. running.PURPOSE: To evaluate performance of 1) WRT predictors directly identified from a treadmill-based dataset of sequentially faster bouts, and 2) accepted WRT predictors compiled from previous literature.METHODS: Twenty-eight adults (71.4% men; age = 36.6 ± 12.8 years, BMI = 26.2 ± 4.7 kg/m2) completed a series of five-minute treadmill walking bouts increasing in 0.2 m/s increments until they freely chose to run. Optimal WRT values for speed, Froude number, and cadence were identified using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. WRT value performance was evaluated via classification accuracy metrics.RESULTS: Overall accuracies (metric, percent) according to WRT predictors from previous literature were: speed (2.1 m/s, 55.0%), Froude number (0.5, 76.8%), and cadence (140 steps/min, 91.1%), and those from the dataset herein were: speed (1.9 and 2.0 m/s, 78.6%), Froude number (0.68, 77.3%), and cadence (134...

Source: Human Movement Science - June 19, 2023 Category: Neurology Authors: Colleen J Chase Elroy J Aguiar Christopher C Moore Stuart R Chipkin John Staudenmayer Catrine Tudor-Locke Scott W Ducharme Source Type: research