The human preference for symmetric walking often disappears when one leg is constrained.

The human preference for symmetric walking often disappears when one leg is constrained.
J Physiol. 2020 Nov 24;:
Authors: Browne MG, Smock CS, Roemmich RT
Abstract
KEY POINTS: We hypothesized that minimization of metabolic power could drive people to walk asymmetrically when one leg is constrained We studied healthy young adults and independently constrained one or both step lengths to be markedly shorter or longer than preferred using visual feedback When one leg was constrained to take a shorter or longer step than preferred, asymmetric walking patterns were less metabolically costly than symmetric walking patterns When one leg was constrained to take a shorter or longer step than preferred and the other leg was allowed to move freely, most participants naturally adopted an asymmetric gait People may prefer to walk asymmetrically to minimize metabolic power when the function of one leg is constrained during fixed-speed treadmill walking ABSTRACT: The bilateral symmetry inherent in healthy human walking is often disrupted in clinical conditions that primarily affect one leg (e.g. stroke). This seems intuitive: with one leg constrained, gait becomes asymmetric. However, the emergence of asymmetry is not inevitable. Consider that symmetric walking could be preserved by matching the movement of the unconstrained leg to that of the constrained leg. While this is theoretically possible, it is rarely observed in clinical populations. Her...

Source: The Journal of Physiology - November 24, 2020 Category: Physiology Authors: Browne MG, Smock CS, Roemmich RT Tags: J Physiol Source Type: research