Arm swing in human walking: what is their drive?

Gait Posture

MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Orthopedics, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, PR China. Electronic address:

Published: June 2014

Although previous research has studied arm swing during walking, to date, it remains unclear what the contribution of passive dynamics versus active muscle control to arm swing is. In this study, we measured arm swing kinematics with 3D-motion analysis. We used a musculoskeletal model in OpenSim and generated dynamic simulations of walking with and without upper limb muscle excitations. We then compared arm swing amplitude and relative phase during both simulations to verify the extent to which passive dynamics contribute to arm swing. The results confirm that passive dynamics are partly responsible for arm swing during walking. However, without muscle activity, passive swing amplitude and relative phase decrease significantly (both p<0.05), the latter inducing a more in-phase swing pattern of the arms. Therefore, we conclude that muscle activity is needed to increase arm swing amplitude and modify relative phase during human walking to obtain an out-phase movement relative to the legs.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2014.04.204DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

arm swing
28
passive dynamics
12
swing walking
8
swing amplitude
8
amplitude relative
8
relative phase
8
arm
7
swing
7
swing human
4
walking
4

Similar Publications

In robotic arm controllers, the ability to shift signal levels is crucial for interfacing between different voltage domains in a processor. The level shifter (LS) has been used to convert signals operating near threshold voltage to signals operating well above the threshold voltage. Researchers have developed current mirror-based LSs to employ current mirrors, which duplicate the current from one transistor and accurately replicate it in another, ensuring precise current matching.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Stumbles, Gait, and Cognition: Risk Factors Associated with Falls in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Complaints.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

December 2024

Neurology Department, Fundación Valle del Lili, Carrera 98 No. 18-49, Cali 760032, Colombia.

Falls are a public health problem, impacting quality of life, independence, and health costs. Subjective memory complaints (SMCs) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) increase with age and may coexist. The risk of falls coinciding with SMCs is less understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Increasing one's walking speed is an important goal in post-stroke gait rehabilitation. Insufficient arm swing in people post-stroke might limit their ability to propel the body forward and increase walking speed.

Purpose: To investigate the speed-dependent changes (and their contributing factors) in the arm swing of persons post-stroke.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Computer model for gait assessments in Parkinson's patients using a fuzzy inference model and inertial sensors.

Artif Intell Med

December 2024

Escuela Nacional de Medicina y Homeopatía, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Guillermo Massieu 239, 07320 Mexico City, Mexico.

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in the moderate and severe stages can present several walk alterations. They can show slow movements and difficulty initiating, varying, or interrupting their gait; freezing; short steps; speed changes; shuffling; little arm swing; and festinating gait. The Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) has a good reputation for uniformly evaluating motor and non-motor aspects of PD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Utilizing Rhythmic Haptic Cueing in Arm Swing Training to Improve Gait Speed Among Older Adults.

Ann Biomed Eng

December 2024

Department of Mechanical Engineering, The Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab, University of Maine, 168 College Ave, Orono, ME, 04469, USA.

Purpose: Current gait rehabilitation protocols for older adults typically attempt to effect changes in leg movements, while the role of arm movements is often ignored despite evidence of the neurological coupling of the upper and lower extremities. In the present work, we examine the effectiveness of a novel wearable haptic cueing system that targets arm swing to improve various gait parameters in older adults.

Methods: Twenty participants (  years) were recruited to analyze their gait during normal and fast walking without haptic cueing.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!