Control of center of mass motion state through cuing and decoupling of spontaneous gait parameters in level walking

Can the center of mass (COM) motion state, i.e., its position and velocity relative to the base of support (BOS), which dictate gait stability, be predictably controlled by the global gait parameters of step length and gait speed, or by extension, cadence? The precise relationships among step length and gait speed, and the COM motion state are unknown, partially due to the interdependence between step length and gait speed and the difficulty in independent control of both parameters during spontaneous level walking. The purposes of this study were to utilize simultaneous audio-visual cuing to independently manipulate step length and gait speed, and to determine the extent to which the COM position and velocity can be subsequently controlled. Fifty-six young adults were trained at one of the three gait patterns in which both the step length and gait speed were targeted simultaneously. The results showed that the cuing could successfully "decouple" gait speed from step length. Although this approach did yield reliable control of the COM velocity through manipulation of gait speed (R(2)=0.97), the manipulation of step length yielded less precise control of COM position (R(2)=0.60). This latter control appears to require manipulation of an additional degree-of-freedom at the local segment level, such that the inclusion of trunk inclination with step length improved the prediction of COM position (R(2)=0.80).