title: Effect of backpack load on the head, cervical spine and shoulder postures in children during gait termination.
abstract: Twelve boys with an average age of 9.9 years were instructed to carry backpacks that weighed 0%, 10% and 15% of their body weights (BWs) to complete planned and unplanned gait termination experiments. The craniohorizontal, craniovertebral and sagittal shoulder posture angles at the sagittal plane as well as the anterior head alignment and coronal shoulder posture angles at the coronal plane were analysed. Results revealed significantly smaller craniohorizontal and sagittal shoulder posture angles during planned gait termination and a significantly smaller sagittal shoulder posture angle during unplanned gait termination under loaded conditions compared with those at 0% BW backpacks. Furthermore, the coronal shoulder posture angles at 10% and 15% BW during planned and unplanned gait terminations were significantly larger than those at 0% BW. Therefore, subjects were more likely to have a forward head posture, rounded shoulder posture and increased lateral tilting of the shoulders during gait termination as backpack loads were increased. However, gait termination, whether planned or unplanned, did not elicit a remarkable effect on posture.
authors.affiliation: a Tianjin Key Laboratory of Exercise Physiology & Sports Medicine, Department of Health & Exercise Science , Tianjin University of Sport , Tianjin , China.
authors.forename: Shi Wei
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: Dong-Qing
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jing Xian
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006257:Head / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D017770:Lifting; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012782:Shoulder / Q000502:physiology; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*