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Related Experiment Videos

Foot trajectory in human gait: a precise and multifactorial motor control task.

D A Winter1

  • 1Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

Physical Therapy
|January 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary

Human gait analysis reveals precise foot trajectory control during the swing phase. Small joint adjustments and specific muscle actions ensure safe foot clearance and heel contact, highlighting multisegment motor control.

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Area of Science:

  • Biomechanics of human locomotion
  • Motor control and robotics

Background:

  • Understanding the dynamics of the swing phase in human gait is crucial for analyzing locomotion and preventing falls.
  • Previous research has focused on overall gait parameters, but detailed analysis of foot trajectory control is less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the trajectory of the heel and toe during the swing phase of human gait in young adults.
  • To quantify the minimum toe clearance and heel-contact velocity and their variability.
  • To investigate the energetic factors controlling step length and the joint-level contributions to foot trajectory variability.

Main Methods:

  • Kinematic analysis of heel and toe trajectories during 10 repeat walking trials on 11 subjects.
  • Measurement of minimum toe clearance and heel-contact velocity.

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  • Sensitivity analysis of joint-level changes and muscle group contributions to gait energetics and foot trajectory.

    • Main Results:

    • Minimum toe clearance was consistently small (1.29 cm) with low variability (approx. 4 mm).
    • Heel-contact velocity was negligible vertically and small horizontally (0.87 m/s).
    • Six joints could independently account for toe clearance variability with minor angular changes; swing-phase hamstring muscles were key for heel-contact velocity control.

    Conclusions:

    • Safe foot trajectory during the swing phase is a precise endpoint control task.
    • This control is achieved through multisegment motor coordination involving both stance and swing limbs.
    • Specific joint and muscle actions demonstrate a highly regulated process for ensuring safe foot clearance.