The roles of lower-limb joint proprioception in postural control during gait

The objective of the present study was to investigate the roles of lower-limb joint proprioception in postural control during gait. Seventy-two healthy adults including 36 younger and 36 older adults participated in two experimental sessions, i.e., lower-limb joint proprioception assessment session and gait assessment session. Lower-limb joint proprioception was assessed by joint position sense errors measured at the ankle, knee and hip of the dominant side. Postural control during gait was characterized by step length, step width and local dynamic stability. Results showed that hip proprioception contributed the most to postural control during gait among the lower-limb joint proprioception components, and that mechanisms for the hip proprioception effects were different between age groups. These findings highlighted the importance of incorporating hip proprioception enhancement exercises in postural control training programs, and the necessity of considering age-related differences in the effects of hip proprioception when designing these exercises.