A longitudinal study of the effect of pregnancy on rising to stand from a chair

Wendy Gilleard, Jack Crosbie, Richard Smith

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    22 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Rising to stand from a chair becomes more difficult to perform as pregnancy progresses, which may lead to altered biomechanics affecting the musculoskeletal demands on the body segments. The kinematic and kinetic adaptations in the lower limbs and trunk as pregnancy progresses are unknown. Nine maternal subjects were investigated using an eight-camera motion analysis system and two force plates, four times throughout pregnancy and once post-birth during rising to stand. Twelve nulliparous female subjects were used to establish natural variation with retesting over the time period. The maternal subjects used temporal-spatial, kinematic and kinetic strategies to widen the base of support, minimize propulsion, increase motion of the thoracic segment and minimize anterior trunk-thigh apposition. A fear of postural instability may have made the subjects more cautious, and as they were able to adequately flex the trunk forward, propulsion was minimized in favor of maintaining upright terminal balance.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)779-787
    Number of pages9
    JournalJournal of Biomechanics
    Volume41
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'A longitudinal study of the effect of pregnancy on rising to stand from a chair'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this