The human foot and heel-sole-toe walking strategy: a mechanism enabling an inverted pendular gait with low isometric muscle force?

Journal of the Royal Society, Interface
James R UsherwoodTatjana Y Hubel

Abstract

Mechanically, the most economical gait for slow bipedal locomotion requires walking as an 'inverted pendulum', with: I, an impulsive, energy-dissipating leg compression at the beginning of stance; II, a stiff-limbed vault; and III, an impulsive, powering push-off at the end of stance. The characteristic 'M'-shaped vertical ground reaction forces of walking in humans reflect this impulse-vault-impulse strategy. Humans achieve this gait by dissipating energy during the heel-to-sole transition in early stance, approximately stiff-limbed, flat-footed vaulting over midstance and ankle plantarflexion (powering the toes down) in late stance. Here, we show that the 'M'-shaped walking ground reaction force profile does not require the plantigrade human foot or heel-sole-toe stance; it is maintained in tip-toe and high-heel walking as well as in ostriches. However, the unusual, stiff, human foot structure--with ground-contacting heel behind ankle and toes in front--enables both mechanically economical inverted pendular walking and physiologically economical muscle loading, by producing extreme changes in mechanical advantage between muscles and ground reaction forces. With a human foot, and heel-sole-toe strategy during stance, the shin ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 18, 2013·Biology Letters·Tatjana Y Hubel, James R Usherwood
May 6, 2016·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Jeffery W RankinJohn R Hutchinson
Jul 16, 2016·Scientific Reports·Kota Z TakahashiGregory S Sawicki
May 23, 2017·Phlebology·Christopher R LattimerEvi Kalodiki
May 9, 2018·Sensors·Hanatsu Nagano, Rezaul K Begg
May 9, 2019·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Jayishni N MaharajGlen A Lichtwark
Sep 8, 2018·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Nicholas B Holowka, Daniel E Lieberman
Jul 12, 2020·Journal of Human Evolution·Angel ZeiningerRoshna E Wunderlich
Dec 24, 2013·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Susanne W LipfertAndre Seyfarth
Jul 16, 2021·Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing·Xing GaoYubo Fan
Sep 7, 2021·The Anatomical Record : Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary Biology·Rachel C GecelterNathan E Thompson

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
force measurements

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