TY - JOUR PY - 2014// TI - Ankle torque control that shifts the center of pressure from heel to toe contributes non-zero sagittal plane angular momentum during human walking JO - Journal of biomechanics A1 - Gruben, Kreg G. A1 - Boehm, Wendy L. SP - 1389 EP - 1394 VL - 47 IS - 6 N2 - A principle objective of human walking is controlling angular motion of the body as a whole to remain upright. The force of the ground on each foot (F) reflects that control, and recent studies show that in the sagittal plane F exhibits a specific coordination between F direction and center-of-pressure (CP) that is conducive to remaining upright. Typical walking involves the CP shifting relative to the body due to two factors: posterior motion of the foot with respect to the hip (stepping) and motion of the CP relative to the foot (foot roll-over). Recent research has also shown how adjusting ankle torque alone to shift CP relative to the foot systematically alters the direction of F, and thus, could play a key role in upright posture and the F measured during walking. This study explores how the CP shifts due to stepping and foot roll-over contribute to the observed F and its role in maintaining upright posture. Experimental walking kinetics and kinematics were combined with a mechanical model of the human to show that variation in F that was not attributable to foot roll-over had systematic correlation between direction and CP that could be described by an intersection point located near the center-of-mass. The findings characterize a component of walking motor control, describe how typical foot roll-over contributes to postural control, and provide a rationale for the increased fall risk observed in individuals with atypical ankle muscle function.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0021-9290 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2014.01.034 ID - ref1 ER -