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Related Experiment Videos

Keep on your toes: gait initiation from toe-standing.

Lee Nolan1, D Casey Kerrigan

  • 1Center for BioDynamics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA. lee.nolan@ihs.se

Journal of Biomechanics
|February 22, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Initiating gait from toe-standing generates more forward momentum than heel-toe standing in healthy adults. This suggests balance issues in upper motor neurone (UMN) patients stem from pathology, not toe-walking gait initiation.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics
  • Human movement analysis
  • Neurology

Background:

  • Toe-standing gait initiation is observed in upper motor neurone (UMN) pathology and athletic contexts.
  • The cause of balance issues in toe-walking patients (pathology vs. gait initiation) remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the biomechanics of gait initiation from toe-standing versus heel-toe standing in healthy individuals.
  • To determine if toe-standing gait initiation contributes to balance problems.

Main Methods:

  • Collected ground reaction force, center of pressure (COP), electromyography, and kinematic data.
  • Utilized AMTI force platform and Vicon motion analysis system.
  • Analyzed data for 3 seconds before and after a visual gait initiation cue.

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Main Results:

  • Toe-standing gait initiation showed smaller backward COP displacement and greater forward momentum generation.
  • Increased activity was observed in gastrocnemius, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris muscles during toe-standing.
  • No significant mediolateral COP displacement or momentum differences were found between conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Initiating gait from toe-standing enhances forward momentum without compromising mediolateral stability.
  • This method may be advantageous for athletes and dancers.
  • Balance deficits in UMN patients are likely due to underlying pathology, not the toe-standing gait initiation itself.