LOCOMOTION:

SOLID SURFACE
GIANNE AZEL G. TORREJOS
LOCOMOTION
• The act or power of moving from place to place
by means of one’s own mechanism or power.
• In the human being, it is the result of the
action of body levers propelling the body.
Ordinarily by lower extremities.
Occasionally by all four extremities.
Sometimes by upper extremities alone.
 WALKING
• Alternating action of the two lower extremities.
• Translatory motion of the body
brought about by angular motion
of some of its parts.
• Two phases:
Swing
Support
WALKING
• Kinematics are often described in terms of strides and steps.
• Stride: from heel strike to the next heel strike of the same leg.
• Stride length: distance covered in one stride.
• Step: from heel strike of one leg to heel strike of opposite leg.
• Chief sources of motion in the swing phase are gravity &
momentum; ballistic movement
• Sources of motion for support phase:
1st Half: momentum of forward moving trunk.
2nd Half: contraction of extensor muscles of supporting leg.
 Major Components of Walking
Pelvic rotation
WALKING Pelvic tilt
ANATOMICAL Knee flexion
ANALYSIS Hip flexion
Knee and ankle interaction
Lateral pelvic displacement
WALKING ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS

SWING PHASE
WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SWING PHASE
Spine and Pelvis:
• Movements: Rotation of pelvis toward the support leg and of spine
in the opposite direction; slight lateral tilt of pelvis toward swing
leg.
• Muscles: Semispinalis, rotatores, multifidus, and external oblique
abdominals on side toward which pelvis rotates.
Erector spinae and internal oblique abdominals on opposite
side.
Psoas & quadratus lumborum support pelvis of swinging limb.
WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SWING PHASE
Hip
• Movements: Flexion; outward
rotation; adduction at beginning
and abduction at the end of
phase.
• Muscles: Iliopsoas is prime
mover of hip.
Assisted by rectus femoris,
sartorius, gracilis, adductor
longus and pectineus.
Knee
• Movements: Flexion during 1st half;
extension during 2nd half.
• Muscles: Quadriceps extensors
contract slightly at end of phase.
 Sartorius & short head of
biceps femoris chiefly
following toe off.
 Largest contributor is gravity
when the knee extensors relax
at toe-off.
WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SWING PHASE
Ankle and Foot
• Movements: Dorsiflexion; prevention of plantar
flexion.
• Muscles: Tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus,
extensor hallucis longus, and peroneus tertius (slight
to moderate intensity at beginning of swing phase,
taper off during middle portion of phase).
Contract again to prepare for heel strike.
WALKING ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS

SUPPORT PHASE
 WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SUPPORT PHASE
Spine and Pelvis
• Rotation of pelvis toward same
side and spine to opposite side;
lateral tilt away from support
leg.
• Lumbar portion of erector
spinae contracts at heel strike
to stiffen spine for support.
Hip
• Movements: Extension through foot flat to toe off.
 Reduction of outward rotation.
 Followed by slight inward rotation.
 Prevention of adduction of the thigh and
dropping of pelvis to opposite side.
• Muscles: During heel strike gluteals and hamstrings
contract statically (moderate intensity), taper off
during foot flat and disappear at midstance.
 Only muscles active during last part of phase -
adductor magnus, longus, and brevis.
WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SUPPORT PHASE
Hip
• Movements: Extension through foot flat to toe off.
 Reduction of outward rotation.
 Followed by slight inward rotation.
 Prevention of adduction of the thigh and dropping of pelvis to opposite
side.
• Muscles: During heel strike gluteals and hamstrings contract statically
(moderate intensity), taper off during foot flat and disappear at midstance.
 Only muscles active during last part of phase - adductor magnus, longus,
and brevis.
WALKING
ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS: SUPPORT PHASE
Knee
• Movements: Slight flexion from heel
strike to foot flat, extension from
midstance until heel lift.
• Muscles: Quadriceps contract
moderately in early part of phase,
then gradually relax.
 Vastii contract throughout the 1st
half of this phase.
 Hamstrings at the end of phase.
Ankle and Foot
Muscles:
• Tibialis anterior, extensor digitorum longus
and hallucis longus early in phase.
• Gastrocnemius and soleus active from
midstance to heel off.
• Tibialis posterior middle part of phase.
• Flexor digitorum longus (slight) in middle
portion of phase, moderate in the last
portion.
• Toe and intrinsic muscles respond to
pressure of ground against toes.
Arms tend to swing in opposition to the legs.
• This reflex action is usually without obvious muscular action and
serves to balance rotation of the pelvis.
• Maximum flexion of shoulder and elbow occurs at heel strike of
opposite foot.
• Maximum extension of shoulder and elbow occurs at heel strike
of same foot.
Walking relies heavily on reflex.
• Reflexes also control movements of supporting limb and
trunk in resisting the downward pull of gravity.
• Stretch reflex: at extremes of motion.
• Extensor thrust reflex: may facilitate the extensor muscles
of lower extremity as weight rides over the foot on the
support leg.
Alignment
• Reduces friction and decreases the
likelihood of strain and injury.
• Stability of weight bearing limb and balance
of trunk over this limb are factors in
smoothness of gait.
• Unnecessary lateral movements decrease
gait economy.
• Excessive trunk rotation with excessive arm
motion.
• Pelvis may drop on one side without
support.
• Pelvic rotation should be just enough to
enable the leg to move straight forward.
Normal flexibility of the joints reduces
resistance.
• Tendons of two joint muscles of
lower extremity contribute to
economy of muscular action in
walking.
• Properly functioning reflexes
contribute to a well coordinated,
efficient gait.
• Injury, disease, or substance abuse
can interfere with the walking
reflexes.
• Inertia of the body must be overcome with every step.
• A brief restraining action of the forward limb serves as a brake on
the momentum of the trunk so as not to move the center of gravity
beyond the new base of support.
• Translatory movement is achieved by alternating the lower
extremity angular motion between the foot (support) and hip
(swing) (inverted pendulum).
• The vertical component of ground
reaction force serves to counteract • Efficiency of locomotion partially
the pull of gravity.
• The horizontal component serves to:
 check forward motion during heel
strike.
 produce forward motion during toe
off.
• Speed is increased by increasing
stride length, stride rate, or both.
• Speed is directly related to
magnitude of force and direction of
application.
depends on friction and ground
reaction force.
• Most efficient gait is one that is
timed to permit pendular motion of
the lower extremities.
• Alternating loss and recovery of
balance.
• Lateral distance between feet is a
factor in lateral stability, with average
step width at ~ 10% of leg length.
• Variations may be structural or functional.
• Structural: body proportions & limb differences.
• Functional: personality characteristics.
• Pathological : disease, injury, or deformity may produce deviations.
• Age: decreases in strength and flexibility.
• Balance becomes a concern.
• Obesity: increased impact but smaller propulsive forces.
• Medial and lateral forces increase.
• Up stairs or a ramp:
• Forward lean of body to direct the push of legs through the body’s
center of gravity.
• Swing phase has exaggerated knee lift and dorsiflexion of the ankle.
• Down stairs or a ramp: Eccentric contraction of muscles to lower
body at a controlled rate and maintain line of gravity toward back of
the base of support.
• Swing phase has a slight lifting of rear foot to clear the step.
• Adaptations to produce maximum speed.
• Must show a period of double support.
• Minimizes double support period;
• Increasing stride rate.
• Decreasing stride length.
THANK YOU!