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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion
Published on: April 11, 2018
Timing-specific transfer of adapted muscle activity after walking in an elastic force field
Andreanne Blanchette1, Laurent J Bouyer
1Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Department of Rehabilitation, Univesité Laval, Quebec City, 525 Blvd. Wilfrid-Hamel, Rm. H-1320, Quebec, QC G1M 2S8, Canada.
Abstract:
Human locomotion results from interactions between feedforward (central commands from voluntary and automatic drive) and feedback (peripheral commands from sensory inputs) mechanisms. Recent studies have shown that locomotion can be adapted when an external force is applied to the lower limb. To better understand the neural control of this adaptation, the present study investigated gait modifications resulting from exposure to a position-dependent force field. Ten subjects walked on a treadmill before, during, and after exposure to a force field generated by elastic tubing that pulled the foot forward and up during swing. Lower limb kinematics and electromyographic (EMG) activity were recorded during each walking period. During force field exposure, peak foot velocity was initially increased by 38%. As subjects adapted, peak foot velocity gradually returned to baseline in
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