Functional roles of ankle and hip sagittal muscle moments in able-bodied gait

The main objectives of this study on able-bodied gait were (a) to identify the main functions of the ankle and hip muscle moments and their contribution to support and propulsion tasks, and (b) to illustrate the interaction between the ankle and hip moment activities.

Twenty young, able-bodied male subjects walked along a 13 m path at a freely chosen speed.

Functional contributions of the ankle and hip muscles and their interactions in achieving support and propulsion tasks during gait are still subject to controversy.

Principal component analysis was applied as a curve structure detection method to identify the main functional characteristics of the ankle and hip muscle moments. The first two principal components which contained over 70% and 85%, respectively, of the information in the ankle and hip moment curves revealed their functional tasks. Ankle versus hip moment plots was used to illustrate the interactions between muscles acting at the hip and ankle in the sagittal plane. Correlation coefficient and covariance calculations quantified the interaction between the ankle and hip moments.

The first principal component revealed that the main role of the ankle and hip is to keep the body from collapsing. The second principal component is associated with the functional contribution of both ankle plantarflexors and hip flexors during the propulsion phase (50-60% of the gait cycle). High coordination (r=0.82) between the ankle and hip moments was observed.

Maintaining body support against gravity was identified as the first functional task of the ankle plantarflexors and hip extensors, while contribution to propulsion was recognised as the second major role for the ankle plantarflexors and hip flexors.

Identifying the main roles of the muscles acting at the hip and ankle during able-bodied walking provides better insight into how pathological gait should be evaluated.