An attempt is made to further the development of a basis for prescribing traction demand safety factors in ramp descent. The anthropometric and kinesiological approaches are compared. Kinesiological ramp descent data from a young adult population are utilized to extrapolate traction demand requirements to a middle age population. A safety factor of 2 appears adequate for these populations. Further research is needed to develop safety factor data for healthy individuals in older populations. A traction demand variation with age is suggested. A possible explanation is suggested for the rearward direction of applied heel shear forces which occurs during the landing phase of the gait cycle.
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