{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T20:09:17Z","timestamp":1780344557287,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,28]],"date-time":"2023-06-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1687910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000071","name":"Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R43HD100309"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R43HD100309"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000071","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000071","name":"Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["C32238GG"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["C32238GG"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000071","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board (SCIRB)","award":["R43HD100309"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R43HD100309"]}]},{"name":"New York State Spinal Cord Injury Research Board (SCIRB)","award":["C32238GG"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["C32238GG"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>While walkers are used as mobility aids for different gait impairments, little is known about the factors that affect the performance of such aids. Therefore, we investigated the impact of arm-holding conditions on gait stability and muscle activation. We used surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors on specific arm and leg muscles while the users took laps with a robotic walker, the mobile Tethered Pelvic Assist Device (mTPAD), on an instrumented mat. Eleven participants without gait disorders walked with and without a 10% body weight (BW) force applied on the pelvis in the following three configurations: (i) while gripping the walker\u2019s frame, (ii) while using an armrest with their arms at a 90\u2218 angle, and (iii) while using an armrest with their arms at a 130\u2218 angle for 5 min each. Our results showed that when applying a force, the users changed their gait to increase stability. We also discovered differences in muscle activation based on the user\u2019s specific arm conditions. Specifically, the 130\u2218 condition required the least muscle activation, while gripping the walker\u2019s frame increased specific muscle activation compared to 90\u2218 and 130\u2218. This study is the first to evaluate how arm-holding and external loading conditions alter gait and muscle activations using the mTPAD.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s23135996","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,29]],"date-time":"2023-06-29T01:43:13Z","timestamp":1688002993000},"page":"5996","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Evaluating Gait Stability and Muscle Activation in Different Hand Holding Conditions Using the Robotic Walker-mTPAD"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Malka","family":"Jacobs","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7564-8798","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danielle Marie","family":"Stramel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mayyada","family":"Shair","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4008-1437","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sunil K.","family":"Agrawal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA"},{"name":"Department of Rehabilitation and Regenerative Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1759","DOI":"10.2147\/CIA.S70722","article-title":"Assessment of forearm and plantar foot load in the elderly using a four-wheeled walker with armrest and the effect of armrest height","volume":"9","author":"Ko","year":"2014","journal-title":"Clin. 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