This study tested the hypotheses that loading the ankle with a 2.3 kg weight would modify deviation (unilateral loading) and distance (unilateral and bilateral loading) during three blind navigation tasks. Ankle loading increased the distance traveled while navigating toward a previously seen target at an 8 m distance and reduced the undetected fore-aft displacement while stepping in place for 100 steps. Unilateral ankle loading had no effect on deviation during these tasks, nor in walking back and forth on an imaginary straight line. The results suggest that somatosensory cues associated with ankle loading and the increased effort to walk and step interacted with motor and cognitive functions involved in blind navigation and influenced the control of anterior-posterior body displacement.
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