Prospective gait changes as a function of shifting perceptions of slipperiness: effects of visual and somatosensory cues

Abstract

Forty participants, ages 18–45years, rated perceived slipperiness before and after walking on five different floors under three different surface conditions. The before-ratings were taken as a proxy for visual cues to slipperiness, while after-ratings were taken as a proxy for somatosensory feedback received while walking on the surface. Before and after ratings of slipperiness were used to predict gait parameters, as a function of trial, during repeated walking. Effects of after-ratings of slipperiness were observed beginning on the second trial, and continued through the fifth trial, while effects of before-ratings of slipperiness were most apparent on the first trial. When perceived slipperiness increased (or decreased) from before to after walking on the surface, gait became more (or less) protective across trials. It is concluded that both visual cues, as well as somatosensory feedback, are used in the prospective control of gait. Practitioner Summary: Effects of visual and somatosensory cues to slipperiness on gait were disentangled using floor surfaces varying in the slipperiness suggested by those cues. Visually based ratings of slipperiness predicted gait parameters on earlier trials, while somatosensory-based ratings predicted gait parameters on subsequent trials. Flooring design should provide reliable information regarding slipperiness.