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Is human gait initiation program affected by a reduction of the postural basis?
A Couillandre1, Y Brenière, B Maton
1Laboratoire de Physiologie du Mouvement, INSERM U483, Université Paris-Sud, Bat 441, 91405, Orsay, France. annabelle.couillandre@lpm.u-psud.fr
Neuroscience Letters
|May 4, 2000
Summary
Healthy subjects adapted their gait initiation program to maintain walking speed when backward center of foot pressure shifts were restricted. This involved adjusting the anticipation phase for successful progression.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Human locomotion
- Motor control
Background:
- Gait initiation is a complex process involving anticipatory postural adjustments.
- Understanding how the body adapts gait to altered sensory feedback is crucial for rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the adaptability of the gait initiation program.
- To examine how restricting the backward shift of the center of foot pressure affects gait parameters.
Main Methods:
- Six healthy subjects walked under normal conditions (control situation) and with restricted heel-ground contact (test situation).
- Gait was analyzed on a force platform at three different speeds.
- The anticipation phase and gait velocity were measured.
Main Results:
- An increased duration of the anticipation phase was necessary in the test situation.
- This adjustment allowed subjects to achieve gait velocities similar to the control situation.
- Modifications in the gait initiation program were observed to maintain performance.
Conclusions:
- The gait initiation program demonstrates adaptability to altered postural constraints.
- Motor control strategies adjust to maintain gait velocity despite changes in the center of foot pressure dynamics.