Figure 1. Arm movement during stepping.

Individuals walking with a rolling platform walker typically walk with their arms flexed at the elbow and weight distributed through their upper extremities. This decreases the amount of body weight loaded through their lower extremities (A). Placing individuals on the treadmill with partial BWS (a condition in which their assistive device can be removed), however, provides the arms with an opportunity to move more naturally. Despite this, the arms of some individuals remain flexed in a fixed position and do not move or swing during manually-assisted stepping, regardless of walking speed (B).