Where to Step? Contributions of Stance Leg Muscle Spindle Afference to Planning of Mediolateral Foot Placement for Balance Control in Young and Old Adults.

ABSTRACT: Stable gait requires active control of the mediolateral (ML) kinematics of the body center of mass (CoM) and the base of support (BoS) in relation to each other. Stance leg hip abductor (HA) muscle spindle afference may be used to guide contralateral swing foot placement and adequately position the BoS in relation to the CoM. We studied the role of HA spindle afference in control of ML gait stability in young and older adults by means of muscle vibration. Healthy young (n = 12) and older (age > 65 years, n = 18) adults walked on a treadmill at their preferred speed. In unperturbed trials, individual linear models using each subject's body CoM position and velocity at mid-swing as inputs accurately predicted foot placement at the end of the swing phase in the young [mean R<

SUBMITTER: Arvin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6110888 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature