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Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
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Linking whole-body angular momentum and step placement during perturbed human walking
Jennifer K Leestma1,2, Pawel R Golyski1,3, Courtney R Smith4
1George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.
The Journal of Experimental Biology
|February 8, 2023
Summary
Human balance recovery is linked to step placement strategies. This study found that the magnitude of imbalance (iWBAM) strongly influences frontal plane step adjustments, especially with earlier perturbation onset.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics of human locomotion
- Neuroscience of balance and gait control
Background:
- Human locomotion exhibits remarkable robustness to environmental disturbances.
- Previous research focused on body dynamics and recovery strategies, with fewer studies formally linking balance and recovery execution.
- Understanding the relationship between imbalance magnitude and recovery strategy is crucial for gait stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the magnitude of imbalance and the recovery strategy during perturbed walking.
- To determine if imbalance magnitude influences step placement during gait recovery.
- To explore the effect of perturbation onset time on this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Applied transient ground surface translations of varying magnitude, direction, and onset time to 11 healthy participants walking on a treadmill.
- Measured whole-body stability using integrated whole-body angular momentum (iWBAM).
- Quantified recovery strategy through step placement analysis.
Main Results:
- Strongest relationships between iWBAM and step placement were observed in the frontal plane.
- This relationship was significant for earlier perturbation onset times in the perturbed step (R2=0.52, 0.50) and later onset times in the recovery step (R2=0.18, 0.25).
- Correlations in the sagittal plane were very weak (all R2≤0.13), indicating a plane-specific influence.
Conclusions:
- Integrated whole-body angular momentum significantly influences step placement, particularly in the frontal plane.
- The influence of iWBAM on step placement is sensitive to the timing of the perturbation onset.
- An open-source dataset is provided to support further research on balance and recovery strategies under multifactorial perturbations.
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