Walking on two legs is inherently unstable. Still, we humans perform remarkable well at it, mostly without falling. To gain more understanding of the role of the brain in controlling gait stability we measured brain activity using electro-encephalography (EEG) during stabilized and normal walking. Subjects walked on a treadmill in two conditions, each lasting 10 min; normal, and while being lat...

The purpose of this study was to identify the kinematic and kinetic strategies used by patients with unilateral triple arthrodesis or subtalar fusion during level walking, stair ascent, stair descent and to determine the influence of these different conditions on kinematics and kinetics. Nine subjects with unilateral triple or subtalar fusion and five normal control subjects were recruited for ...

The torque resistance of zirconia ceramic heads/titanium taper trunnion junctions was tested in accordance with ISO 7206-9:1994(E); using twelve modified heads of 32 mm diameter under representative physiological conditions. Test parameters studied included assembly force, vertical load during test (test load) and head length. Mean torque resistances measured were 8.9 N m for a 1 kN test load a...

Previous studies have identified differences in gait kinetics between healthy older and young adults. However, the underlying factors that cause these changes are not well understood. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of age and speed on the activation of lower-extremity muscles during human walking. We recorded electromyography (EMG) signals of the soleus, gastrocnemius, bi...

To investigate the movement of the tibial end in the sagittal plane in the PTB prosthetic socket during a gait cycle, 7 patients with a median age of 72 years were examined using X-ray technique. The gait cycle was reduced to four different static positions: heel contact, midstance, push-off and swing phase. The mean value of tibial movement in the socket in the anteroposterior direction was 2....

AIM Despite numerous studies addressing the issue, it remains unclear whether the triceps surae muscle group generates forward propulsive force during gait, commonly identified as 'push-off'. In order to challenge the push-off postulate, one must probe the effect of varying the propulsive force while annulling the effect of the progression velocity. This can be obtained by adding a load to the ...

Previous studies of human locomotion indicate that foot and ankle structures can interact in complex ways. The structure of the foot defines the input and output lever arms that influences the force-generating capacity of the ankle plantar flexors during push-off. At the same time, deformation of the foot may dissipate some of the mechanical energy generated by the plantar flexors during push-o...

Almost all of the transtibial prostheses that are available on the market are purely passive devices. These prostheses store (potential) energy in an elastic element during the controlled dorsiflexion phase of stance and release it right after in order to move the body forward. As a result of this, only the energy which has been stored can be used for push-off and thus for propulsion. There exi...

This study investigated the effect of both walking speed and external ankle load on the kinetic patterns of treadmill walking in preadolescents with and without Down syndrome (DS). Ten preadolescents with DS and ten age- and gender-matched children with typical development (TD) participated in this study. We manipulated two treadmill speeds and two external ankle loads. Treadmill speeds were eq...

BACKGROUND The effects of age and speed on foot and ankle kinematics in gait studies using foot models are not fully understood, whereas this can have significant influence. We analyzed these variables with the 4-segment Oxford foot model. METHODS Twenty-one healthy subjects (aged 20-65 years) were recruited for gait analysis. The effect of speed on foot and ankle kinematics was assessed by c...