Analisi della postura e del cammino per la identificazione di specifici pattern motori nelle diverse fasce di età

Posture and gait are the main elements on which this PhD thesis is built up. Both posture and gait can be evaluated by instrumental tests, such as stabilometry and gait analysis, widely validated in literature. These methodologies have been used here in a couple of research projects, conducted at the Laboratory of Human Movement, Posture, and Body Composition assessment (SSD M-EDF/01 - Metodi e didattiche delle attività motorie), that aimed at identifying postural instability and/or altered parameters in gait of the recruited subjects. The first project recruited a group of subjects with schizophrenia in order to study the motor dimension even in the early stages of the disease. Some authors have previously showed an increase of postural sway in these subjects, but little is known about gait. Our results confirmed the postural instability in schizophrenia and a reduction in gait cadence and speed. Of note, the combination of postural sway increase and the reduction of gait cadence and speed are the earliest detectable parameters in terms of motor alterations in schizophrenia subjects. In a second study, stabilometry and gait analysis were used to test the musculoskeletal system in response to changing loads and with the aim to prevent potential related injuries. Therefore, different backpack weights and carrying conditions were tested in a case report. Specifically, gait parameters were altered with the highest weights tested and asymmetrical way of backpack carrying (i.e., on one shoulder or with one hand). Pelvis angles were also reduced, pelvic tilt was particularly minimized by the highest backpack weight and asymmetrical carrying. Future perspectives could match gait and posture evaluation with other research fields such as sport performance. Overall, we show that gait and posture analysis could potentially support the study of motor profiling of healthy people as well as the clinical configuration of disease.