Forces Generated by Vastus Lateralis and Vastus Medialis Decrease with Increasing Stair Descent Speed.

ABSTRACT: Stair descent (SD) is a common, difficult task for populations who are elderly or have orthopaedic pathologies. Joint torques of young, healthy populations during SD increase at the hip and ankle with increasing speed but not at the knee, contrasting torque patterns during gait. To better understand the sources of the knee torque pattern, we used dynamic simulations to estimate knee muscle forces and how they modulate center of mass (COM) acceleration across SD speeds (slow, self-selected, and fast) in young, healthy adults. The vastus lateralis and vastus medialis forces decreased from slow to self-selected speeds as the individual lowered to the next step. Since the vasti are primary contributors to vertical support during SD, they produced lower forces at faster speeds due to the lower

SUBMITTER: Caruthers EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7942835 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature