The human ankle joint is hypothesized to be a primary controller of support, propulsion and steering during locomotion. A series of experiments were initiated to understand ankle plantarflexor muscle kinematics and kinetics in normal and pathological gait, and to define the specific locomotor demands of community ambulation. Additional experiments were then conducted to quantify the effects of walking speed on plantar pressures and centre of mass motion, to illuminate the role of the ankle in acceleration and deceleration during walking, and to examine how humans alter their kinematics and kinetics to turn. The results of these experiments provide support for the hypothesis that the ankle joint is important in a wide range of locomotor movements beyond walking straight ahead at constant speed. The ankle appears instrumental in adapting to different walking speeds, altering both the pressures on specific regions the plantar surface and the motion of the centre of mass across a range of speeds. The ankle also has subtle kinetic changes that appear to modulate acceleration and deceleration during single limb stance. For turning, the ankle plays a role during slowing into the turn and accelerating after the turn, but mediolateral shears appear to alter the trajectory of the body to negotiate a corner and the external hip rotators appear to rotate the trunk toward the new direction of travel. This work extends our understanding of the ankle in functionally relevant gait activities beyond simple straight-ahead walking at constant speed. The published papers included in this supporting statement have been cited by 180 different subsequent peerreviewed publications, suggesting that this work has had some impact on the field.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:570433 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Orendurff, Michael S. |
| Contributors | Strike, Siobhan |
| Publisher | University of Roehampton |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/dynamic-foot-and-ankle-characteristics-in-functionally-relevant-gait-performance-in-those-with-and-without-a-pathology(abd2dc9a-26a9-47fd-afcc-edee49360c64).html |
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