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Biomechanical analysis of walking: Effects of gait velocity and arm swing amplitude

TANJA JURČEVIĆ LULIĆ orcid.org/0009-0002-4462-7705 ; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
ALEKSANDAR SUŠIĆ ; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
JANOŠ KODVANJ ; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sažetak

Background and Purpose: Human walking has been extensively studied by many investigators and numerous mathematical models of lower limb movements have been developed but few reports have been written about contribution of the upper limbs to the locomotion process. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of walking speed and effect of the upper limb swing on the trajectory of the whole body mass center, as well as on ground reaction forces during human walking.

Material and Methods: An automatized method for determination of
the whole body mass center has been established. Gait analysis was performed on 52 subjects using the Elite system and Kistler force platform. The recording of trajectories of characteristic body points on subjects and measurement of ground reaction forces were performed at normal speed walking with natural and emphasized rhythmic upper limb swing and at fast walking speed. The determined mean values of normalized components of trajectory of the body mass center and ground reaction forces were compared.

Result and Conclusion: The study showed that components of ground
reaction forces and trajectory of the whole body center of mass are influenced by changes in arm swing and gait velocity. Maximum magnitudes of components of ground reaction force increased for normal speed walking with emphasized upper limb swing. The emphasized upper limb swing decreased the magnitude of vertical oscillations of the body center of mass and thus may influence energy expenditure.

Ključne riječi

Human gait; upper limb swing; gait speed; trajectory of the whole body mass center; ground reaction forces

Hrčak ID:

52679

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/52679

Datum izdavanja:

31.3.2010.

Posjeta: 6.505 *