The influence of foot position on body dynamics

During locomotion, the human body exhibits inherent dynamic properties such as mass (M), stiffness (K) and damping (B). During the gait cycle, foot contact with the ground progresses from the heel to the toe. Contact forces between the foot and ground are defined as ground reaction forces (GRF). It is unclear how body dynamics are affected by foot landing position. If the shape of GRF is indicative of body dynamics, our understanding of gait patterns in normal and pathologic conditions may improve. The aims of this study were to determine:(1) whether foot landing position affects the inherent dynamics of the human body and (2) the extent to which the GRF curve reflects the response of inherent body dynamics to sudden loading. Eight non-disabled control volunteers performed a series of small jumps and landed on one leg with a fully extended knee in three foot landing positions: heel, mid-foot, and toe. They then walked at self-paced velocity over force plates. For each foot landing position, values of K, B and the dimensionless damping coefficient, xi, were calculated from the period of vertical body oscillations, T, and compared with an ANOVA test. In addition, the time between the two peaks of the vertical GRF, T(GRF), was compared with T. We found that that K and B decreased and xi did not change (p<0.01) between heel to toe-landing positions. T(GRF) was not different than T for the toe-landing position, which suggests that the dynamic body response has major impact on the shape of GRF.