Contrasting roles of inertial and muscle moments at knee and ankle during paw-shake response

Abstract

Intralimb kinetics of the paw-shake response (PSR) were studied in four spinal, adult cats. Using rigid body equations of motion to determine the dynamic interactions between limb segments, knee and ankle joint kinetics were calculated for the steady-state cycles as defined in the preceding paper. Hindlimb motion was filmed (200 frames/s) to obtain knee and ankle kinematics. Responses of flexors and extensors at both joints were recorded synchronously with cinefilm. Ankle and knee joint kinematics were determined from 51 steady-state cycles of 16 PSRs. Average maximum displacements, velocities, and accelerations were substantially greater for the ankle than for the knee joint. Knee and ankle motions were out of phase in the first part of the cycle; knee extension occurred simultaneously with ankle flexion. In the second part of the cycle, motions at the two joints were sequential; rapid knee flexion, accompanied by negligible ankle displacement, preceded rapid ankle extension with minimal knee displacement. At the ankle joint, peak net moments tending to cause flexion and extension were similar in magnitude and determined primarily by muscle moments. Moments due to leg angular acceleration contributed significantly to an extensor peak in the net moment near the end of the cycle. Other inertial and gravitational moments were small. At the knee joint, net moments tending to cause flexion and extension were also similar, but smaller than those at the ankle. The knee muscle moments, however, were large and counteracted large inertial moments due to paw angular acceleration. Also, moments due to leg angular acceleration and knee linear acceleration were substantial and opposite in effect. Other inertial and the gravitational moments were negligible. Muscle moments slowed and reversed joint motions, and active muscle force components of muscle moments were derived from lengthening of active musculotendinous units. Segmental interactions, in which proximal segment motion augmented distal segment velocity, increased the effectiveness of PSR steady-state cycles by facilitating the generation of extremely large paw linear accelerations. Limb oscillations during PSR steady-state result from interactions between muscle synergies and motion-dependent limb dynamics. At the ankle, muscle activity functioned to control paw acceleration, whereas at the knee, muscle activity functioned to control leg and paw inertial interactions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)