Abstract
ABSTRACTWalking without falling requires stabilization of the trajectory of the body center of mass relative to the base of support. Model studies suggest that this requires active, feedback control, especially in the mediolateral direction. In older adults and in individuals with neurological or orthopedic disorders that affect walking ability, falls during gait are a common cause of injuries, hospitalization and loss of independence. In this tutorial, we illustrate how gait analysis can be used to assess the stabilizing feedback control of gait. We present methods ranging from those that require limited input data (e.g. position data of markers placed on the feet and pelvis only) to those that require full-body kinematics and electromyography. Analyses range from simple kinematics analyses to inverse dynamics. These methods assess stabilizing feedback control of human walking at three levels: 1) the level of center of mass movement and horizontal ground reaction forces, 2) the level of center of mass movement and foot placement and 3) the level of center of mass movement and the joint moments or muscle activity. We show how these can be calculated and provide a GitHub repository (https://github.com/VU-HMS/Tutorial-stabilizing-walking) which contains open access Matlab and Python code to calculate these. Finally, we discuss what information on feedback control can be learned from each of these.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory