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Relationship between ankle frontal muscle powers and three-d gait patterns
Heydar Sadeghi1, Paul Allard, Regis Lachance
1Research Center, Sainte-Justine Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Objective:
This study was undertaken to demonstrate that the ankle frontal muscle power absorption and generation at push-off are related to the foot's initial position at heel-strike with respect to the body center of mass.
Design:
Nineteen able-bodied male subjects participated in this study and were divided into two groups according to ankle frontal plane power generation or absorption at push-off.
Results:
At heel-strike, the group that absorbed had a center of pressure that was located on average 25% more anteriorly and 36% more laterally to the body center of mass. Moreover, at push-off, the center of pressure was closer (26%) to the center of mass than in the generating group. The absorbing group compensated by increasing their sagittal plane hip energy by 30% to pull the lower limb forward and their knee power absorption by 47% to slow down the leg before the subsequent heel-strike.
Conclusions:
The foot's initial position at heel-strike explains in part the ankle frontal power generation or absorption at push-off. Increasing hip and knee sagittal joint powers and mechanical energies were the main contributors in compensating and providing a broader base of support and frontal plane ankle power absorption.