Introduction:​ The number of induced falls has increased exponentially over the last decade. Previous studies have determined that the cognitive demands of texting affect the processing of cognitive and motor tasks.

Research question:​ What effect does the dual-tasking of texting and walking has on slip recovery mechanics?

Methods:​ Three-dimensional kinematic data were collected while 20 participants between the ages of 18 and 30 years three different conditions;​ 1) baseline, 2) walking + slip perturbation, and 3) texting and walking + slip perturbation.

Results:​ Walking speed, numbers of falls, and recovery time from the slip were not affected by the texting dual-task. It was also determined that the step length employed to recover the slip perturbation was significantly affected. Additionally, stride width was significantly increased during the texting condition but not during the no texting condition when compared to baseline in an effort to recover from the slip perturbation.

Significance:​ These results indicate that texting and walking does not affect the slip recovery mechanics. Thus, this study suggests that the processing of texting while walking does not increase the risk of falling.