Micaela Porta

University of Cagliari

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Massimiliano Pau

University of Cagliari

Eleonora Cocco

University of Cagliari

Bruno Leban

University of Cagliari

Giuseppina Pilloni

New York University

Giancarlo Coghe

University of Cagliari

Federica Corona

University of Cagliari

Federico Arippa

University of Cagliari

Lorena Lorefice

University of Cagliari

Jessica Frau

University of Cagliari

Giulia Casu

University of Cagliari

Cooperative Institutions

University of Cagliari

Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico

Politecnico di Milano

IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano

ATS Sardegna (Italy)

Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

University of Buenos Aires

Santissima Trinità

Ospedale degli Infermi

Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas Norberto Quirno

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Exploring cognitive motor interference in multiple sclerosis by the visual Stroop test

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders (2018)

Giancarlo Coghe Giuseppina Pilloni Erica Zucca Micaela Porta Federica Corona

Stroop effect

Cadence

Elementary cognitive task

10.1016/j.msard.2018.02.026

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Citations (11)

Smoothness of gait detects early alterations of walking in persons with multiple sclerosis without disability

Gait & Posture (2017)

Massimiliano Pau Serena Mandaresu Giuseppina Pilloni Micaela Porta Giancarlo Coghe

Smoothness

Gait Disturbance

10.1016/j.gaitpost.2017.08.023

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Citations (45)

Characterization of hand forces exerted during non-powered hospital bed pushing and pulling tasks

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (2020)

Bruno Leban Daniele Fabbri Luigi Isaia Lecca M. Uras Marco Monticone

Accurate assessment of biomechanical risk associated with pushing/pulling tasks represents a challenging issue, especially in the health system where personnel are often required to maneuver beds and carts. Most studies in this field have been carried out in the laboratory, while few data have been collected under actual working conditions. This study aims to characterize the forces exerted during non-powered hospital bed maneuvering. Twenty participants were required to move a bed (equipped with a customized handlebar to measure exerted forces) along an actual hospital path including straight, turn and maneuver phases. The results show that higher forces are associated with the initial phase (peak and mean values 222 and 68 N) while the straight, turn and maneuvering phases required similar (lower) efforts. The combined effect of left, right and transversal forces suggests that the trunk of the operator might experience axial rotation, thus calling for further investigations of this aspect.

Hospital bed

10.1080/10803548.2020.1857081

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Citations (2)

To Stand or to Sit? Examining the Influence of Player Posture on Balance Alterations Associated to Immersive Virtual Reality Exposure

Federico Arippa Micaela Porta Giulia Casu Bruno Leban Massimiliano Pau

10.1109/gem61861.2024.10585552

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Citations (0)

Texting While Walking Induces Gait Pattern Alterations in Healthy Older Adults

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting (2018)

Massimiliano Pau Micaela Porta Giuseppina Pilloni Federica Corona Maria Chiara Fastame

The use of a mobile phone for texting purposes results in distracted walking which may lead to injuries. In particular, texting while walking has been shown to induce significant alterations in gait patterns. This study aimed to assess whether changes in the main spatio-temporal parameters of gait when simultaneously engaged in texting on a smartphone and walking are different in older adults relative to young and middle- aged individuals. A total of 57 participants divided in three groups (19 older adults aged over 65, 19 young aged 20-40 and 19 middle-aged aged 41-64) were tested in two conditions: walking, and walking while texting on a smartphone. Spatio-temporal parameters of gait were assessed using a wearable accelerometer located on the lower back. The results show that texting induced similar reduction of gait speed, stride length and cadence in all groups. Slight (although significant) alterations of stance, swing and double support phases duration were found only for middle-aged participants. Such findings suggest that modifications of gait patterns due to texting seem unaffected by age, probably due to different perceptions of the cognitive complexity of the task and differential prioritization of its motor and cognitive aspects.

Cadence

STRIDE

10.1177/1541931218621433

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Citations (8)

Association between Objectively Measured Physical Activity and Gait Patterns in People with Parkinson’s Disease: Results from a 3-Month Monitoring

Parkinson s Disease (2018)

Micaela Porta Giuseppina Pilloni Roberta Pili Carlo Casula Mauro Murgia

Background . Although physical activity (PA) is known to be beneficial in improving motor symptoms of people with Parkinson’s disease (pwPD), little is known about the relationship between gait patterns and features of PA performed during daily life. Objective . To verify the existence of possible relationships between spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait and amount/intensity of PA, both instrumentally assessed. Methods . Eighteen individuals affected by PD (10F and 8M, age 68.0 ± 10.8 years, 1.5 ≤ Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) < 3) were required to wear a triaxial accelerometer 24 h/day for 3 consecutive months. They also underwent a 3D computerized gait analysis at the beginning and end of the PA assessment period. The number of daily steps and PA intensity were calculated on the whole day, and the period from 6:00 to 24:00 was grouped into 3 time slots, using 3 different cut-point sets previously validated in the case of both pwPD and healthy older adults. 3D gait analysis provided spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait, including summary indexes of quality (Gait Profile Score (GPS) and Gait Variable Score (GVS)). Results . The analysis of hourly trends of PA revealed the existence of two peaks located in the morning (approximately at 10) and in the early evening (between 18 and 19). However, during the morning time slot (06:00–12:00), pwPD performed significantly higher amounts of steps (4313 vs. 3437 in the 12:00–18:00 time slot, p<0.001, and vs. 2889 in the 18:00–24:00 time slot, p=0.021) and of moderate-to-vigorous PA (43.2% vs. 36.3% in the 12:00–18:00 time slot, p=0.002, and vs. 31.4% in the 18:00–24:00 time slot, p=0.049). The correlation analysis shows that several PA intensity parameters are significantly associated with swing-phase duration (rho = −0.675 for sedentary intensity, rho = 0.717 for moderate-to-vigorous intensity, p<0.001), cadence (rho = 0.509 for sedentary intensity, rho = −0.575 for moderate-to-vigorous intensity, p<0.05), and overall gait pattern quality as expressed by GPS (rho = −0.498 to −0.606 for moderate intensity, p<0.05) and GVS of knee flexion-extension (rho = −0.536 for moderate intensity, p<0.05). Conclusions . Long-term monitoring of PA integrated by the quantitative assessment of spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait may represent a useful tool in supporting a better-targeted prescription of PA and rehabilitative treatments in pwPD.

Intensity

10.1155/2018/7806574

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Citations (16)

Do gait patterns differ in men and women with multiple sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders (2017)

Massimiliano Pau Federica Corona Giuseppina Pilloni Micaela Porta Giancarlo Coghe

Barefoot

10.1016/j.msard.2017.10.005

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Citations (21)

Red cell filtration and aging of the samples.

PubMed (1984)

Gabriele Rossi Robert J. Fiocco M Neirotti Petracchini Micaela Porta

Filtration (mathematics)

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Citations (1)

Synchronized Cyclograms to Assess Inter-Limb Symmetry during Gait in Women with Anorexia and Bulimia: A Retrospective Study

Symmetry (2023)

Massimiliano Pau Serena Cerfoglio Paolo Capodaglio Flavia Marrone Leonardo Mendolicchio

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are eating diseases characterized by extreme eating behaviours impacting both mental and physical health. Aberrant musculoskeletal adaptations due to malnutrition affect motor abilities such as postural control and gait. To date, limited data is available with regards to gait symmetry in AN and BN. The aim of this study was to characterize inter-limb asymmetry during gait in two cohorts affected by AN and BN, respectively, using the synchronized cyclograms and to compare it with a healthy weight group. A total of 14 AN, 17 BN, and 11 healthy-weight females were assessed via 3D gait analysis. Gait spatio-temporal parameters were computed together with angle–angle diagrams, which were characterized in terms of their geometric features. Individuals with AN and BN were characterized by reduced speed and cadence and an abnormal increase in the duration of the double support phase with respect to the healthy controls. With respect to inter-limb symmetry, asymmetries were detected in both groups, with individuals with BN exhibiting significantly larger cyclogram areas at the hip joint with respect to the other groups (323.43 degrees2 vs. 253.74 degrees2 vs. 136.37 degrees2) and significantly higher orientation angle and Trend Symmetry at both knee and ankle joint. The cyclogram analysis suggests the presence of an altered gait symmetry in individuals with BN. In the AN group, it is possible to observe a similar trend; however, this is not statistically significant. Overall, the findings of this study may provide a novel perspective on the motor control dysfunction linked to eating disorders and aid clinicians in selecting a suitable rehabilitation scheme targeted at enhancing motor stability and control.

Cadence

Anorexia

Anorexia nervosa

Affect

10.3390/sym15122200

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Citations (1)

Lower Limb Kinematics in Individuals with Hip Osteoarthritis during Gait: A Focus on Adaptative Strategies and Interlimb Symmetry

Bioengineering (2021)

Micaela Porta Massimiliano Pau Bruno Leban Michela Deidda Marco Sorrentino

Among the functional limitations associated with hip osteoarthritis (OA), the alteration of gait capabilities represents one of the most invalidating as it may seriously compromise the quality of life of the affected individual. The use of quantitative techniques for human movement analysis has been found valuable in providing accurate and objective measures of kinematics and kinetics of gait in individuals with hip OA, but few studies have reported in-depth analyses of lower limb joint kinematics during gait and, in particular, there is a scarcity of data on interlimb symmetry. Such aspects were investigated in the present study which tested 11 individuals with hip OA (mean age 68.3 years) and 11 healthy controls age- and sex-matched, using 3D computerized gait analysis to perform point-by-point comparisons of the joint angle trends of hip, knee, and ankle. Angle-angle diagrams (cyclograms) were also built to compute several parameters (i.e., cyclogram area and orientation and Trend Symmetry) from which to assess the degree of interlimb symmetry. The results show that individuals with hip OA exhibit peculiar gait patterns characterized by severe modifications of the physiologic trend at hip level even in the unaffected limb (especially during the stance phase), as well as minor (although significant) alterations at knee and ankle level. The symmetry analysis also revealed that the effect of the disease in terms of interlimb coordination is present at knee joint as well as hip, while the ankle joint appears relatively preserved from specific negative effects from this point of view. The availability of data on such kinematic adaptations may be useful in supporting the design of specific rehabilitative strategies during both preoperative and postoperative periods.

Biomechanics

10.3390/bioengineering8040047

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Citations (12)