## 4 Discussion
Body balance is a crucial factor in maintaining safe locomotion and avoiding falls. A shorter step length is related to poor balance, which is a known indicator of physical disability [28]. Carrying a load in the hand lowers the center of mass. However, the load is further from body's center of mass compared to shoulder carrying [13]. A second possible explanation of our findings is a mechanism of increasing cadence while maintaining a consistent pace to lower impact forces [36; 37]. The asymmetrical load carried in the hands alters pelvis stability and increases the activity of hip abductors contralateral to the load [38]. Thus, participants probably adapt their gait pattern to minimize acting forces and exertion. Previous studies suggest that healthy young individuals walk in a way that maximizes front-back and up-down stability while maintaining sufficient side-to-side stability [39]. With regard to the shoulder position of the load, the stance phase was the longest when the backpack was carried on the shoulder compared to the hand and no load, mainly because double support increased when the load was carried on the shoulder. The single support and swing phases were the longest without load compared to the two load positions. These findings suggest that gait cycle phases were more affected by the higher position of the load during walking. Gait changes observed due to increased double support are similar to changes due to decreasing walking speed [40]. Longer double support and stance phases also can improve stability [40]. A previous study showed that placing a load lower on the back affected the spatiotemporal parameters more than when loads were placed high on the back. The results regarding spatiotemporal parameters suggest that a decrease in walking speed and step rate, as well as an increase in time spent in a double support phase for a lower configuration, may act as a compensatory mechanism to reduce walking instability and mechanical strain on the musculoskeletal system [34]. [PERSON] et al. suggest that carrying asymmetric loads over short distances should include a shoulder carry technique, as gait parameters differ less from walking without a load than when carrying it in the hand [11]. In the current study, we cannot clearly define a better technique for carrying the load since both caused different adaptations. While shoulder carrying may have a greater impact on the swing and stance phases, hand carrying may have a greater impact on cadence and the gait cycle. According to a previous study, in patients with LBP, step length, stride length and speed are often altered, resulting in slower walking and increased double support subphases of stance [21]. Those alternations are similar to those observed during load carriage and can be indicators of an increased effort to maintain stability and safety. Another important practical implication of our study is the effect of asymmetrical loading on the human gait. [PERSON] et al. investigated the influence of the type of back-pack shoulder snap on gait parameters and the perceived exertion of young adults. They found that the carriage of a backpack either on a single strap (asymmetrically) or two straps does not appear to influence gait phases, but leads to increased perceived exertion [41]. However, the lateral position of the load can generate unstable conditions. The lack of stability in locomotion necessitated significant modifications to gait parameters in order to preserve stability. Additionally, high compression and shear forces exert more pressure on the lumbar-sacral spine when comparing the lateral position to other carrying methods [9]. Thus, previous studies recommended reducing the potential risks associated with load carrying, by using a symmetrical carrying method [9; 10]. Although asymmetric weight affected gait parameters in our study, there were no differences between the loaded and non-loaded sides.