The different types of vibration affected gait characteristics differently depending on the different locomotor tasks
Unsurprisingly, the decrement in stride time was observed when walking downhill than walking level or uphill in the current study. This decrement in stride time without changing stride length led to increased cadence. In other words, the frequency of the foot staying on the ground increased. The main purpose of this typical gait pattern was to ensure dynamic balance during walking (When healthy young adults performed uphill walking, the different effect of plantar vibration on gait characteristics was observed. It has been shown that walking downhill requires more energy than walking on a level surface or uphill (Surprisingly, the effect of sub-threshold vibration was only observed while walking 8% grade uphill. It might be the different inclines induced different control mechanisms. These speculations were supported by Earhart and Bastian that healthy young participants used different control mechanisms when they stepped on steeper grades of a wedge (