We modified an irreducibly simple model of passive dynamic walking to walk on level ground, and used it to study the energetics of walking and the preferred relationship between speed and step length in humans. Powered walking was explored using an impulse applied at toe-off immediately before heel strike, and a torque applied on the stance leg. Although both methods can supply energy through m...

BACKGROUND The ostrich is a cursorial bird with extraordinary speed and endurance, especially in the desert, and thus is an ideal large-scale animal model for mechanic study of locomotion on granular substrate. METHODS The plantar pressure distributions of ostriches walking/running on loose sand/solid ground were recorded using a dynamic pressure plate. RESULTS The center of pressure (COP) ...

The aim of this study was to determine that low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) at an intensity 140 mW/cm2 promotes functional and histologic improvements in sciatic nerve crush injury a rat model investigate changes over time relevant growth factors receptors, exploring the mechanism LIPUS recovery process after injury. Toe angle toe-off phase, regenerative axonal length, myelinated fiber ...

Though the effects of imposed trunk posture on human walking have been studied, less is known about such locomotion while accommodating changes in ground level. For twelve able participants, we analyzed kinematic parameters mainly at touchdown and toe-off in walking across a 10-cm visible drop in ground level (level step, pre-perturbation step, step-down, step-up) with three postures (regular e...

BACKGROUND Our understanding of the interaction of muscle bellies and their tendons in individuals with muscle pathology is limited. Knowledge of these interactions may inform us of the effects of musculoskeletal pathologies on muscle-tendon dynamics and the subsequent neurological control strategies used in gait. Here, we investigate gastrocnemius muscle-tendon interaction in typically-develop...

[Purpose] This study investigated the association between floating toe and toe grip strength. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 635 Japanese children aged 9-11 years participated in this study. Floating toe was evaluated using footprint images, while toe grip strength was measured using a toe grip dynamometer. All 1,270 feet were classified into a floating toe group and a normal toe group accor...

INTRODUCTION: The “crossover toe deformity”, though incompletely defined, refers to an instable second metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) that leads to a progressive migration of the second toe in a dorsal and medial direction [2,3]. The etiology is uncertain. One specific and controversial hypothesis states that a long second metatarsal causes abnormal loading beneath the second MTPJ during stan...