Mechanical Adaptations to Anterior Load and Fall Risks in Nulliparous Women With Simulated Gestational Weight Gain
Abstract
Approximately twenty-five percent of pregnant women experience falls during pregnancy, posing significant risks to maternal and fetal health outcomes. However, research on falls in pregnant women remains limited. PURPOSE: This study aimed to address this gap by comparing static postural stability between pregnant and nulliparous women with simulated gestational weight gain (GWG), thus validating the use of simulated pregnancy; and to observe the mechanical influences of simulated GWG on postural stability in static and dynamic conditions. It was hypothesized that increasing simulated GWG would decrease postural stability in single-limb stance, bilateral standing, margin of stability during gait initiation, and dynamic stability during a slip perturbation. METHODS: Eleven nulliparous women completed four separate data collections while adorning an anteriorly loaded weight-vest with 0, 2.26, 9.07, and 15.88 kg. Participants performed repeated balance, gait initiation, and treadmill slip perturbations under each weighted condition. RESULTS: Pregnant women and simulated pregnant women exhibited similar postural stability characteristics. Static balance was found to only be affected in anteroposterior sway magnitude between baseline and simulated second trimester in bilateral standing. Margin of stability was not significantly different across simulated trimesters during gait initiation. Dynamic postural stability displayed significant decreases at each heel strike between baseline and second trimester, and additional significance at heel strike one and heel strike three between baseline and third trimester. CONCLUSION: Overall, these findings suggest that the mechanical influences of simulated GWG influence the compensatory performance of postural stability during dynamic movements. This study contributes to the understanding of the mechanical aspects of GWG and may translate to the pregnancy-related postural stability changes and fall-risks.
Subject Area
Biomechanics|Obstetrics and gynecology|Nutrition
Recommended Citation
Vanderhoof, Heather Roxanne, "Mechanical Adaptations to Anterior Load and Fall Risks in Nulliparous Women With Simulated Gestational Weight Gain" (2024). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI31300027.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI31300027