What guides the selection of alternate foot placement during locomotion in humans

Our goal was to understand the bases for selection of alternate foot placement during locomotion when the normal landing area is undesirable. In this study, a light spot of different shapes and sizes simulated an undesirable landing area. Participants were required to avoid stepping on this spot under different time constraints. Alternate chosen foot placements were categorised into one of eight choices. Results showed that selection of alternate foot placement is systematic. There is a single dominant choice for each combination of light spot and normal landing spot. The dominant choice minimises the displacement of the foot from its normal landing spot (less than half a foot length). If several response choices satisfy this criterion, three selection strategies are used to guide foot placement: placing the foot in the plane of progression, choosing to take a longer step over a shorter step and selecting a medial rather than lateral foot placement. All these alternate foot-placement choices require minimal changes to the ongoing locomotor muscle activity, pose minimal threat to dynamic stability, allow for quick initiation of change in ongoing movement and ensure that the locomotor task runs without interruption. Thus, alternate foot-placement choices are dependent not only on visual input about the location, size and shape of the undesirable surface, but also on the relationship between the characteristics of the undesirable surface and the normal landing area.