Angular displacement patterns of leading and trailing limb joints during galloping in monkeys

The movement patterns of the joints of the right hind limbs and forelimbs of four vervet and one squirrel monkey were compared during right- and left-lead gallops. Although the overall displacement patterns were similar under both conditions, comparisons of the inflection points in the curves yielded consistent differences in the joints at various phases in the cycle. Some of these differences appear to reflect differing mechanical conditions, whereas others seem to represent variation in muscle activation patterns. Although some of the differences in the joints under the two conditions were consistent with those reported previously for other quadrupeds, others were not. This may reflect that different quadrupeds use slightly different biomechanical strategies during galloping.