Gait (human) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Human gait is the way locomotion

Animal locomotion

Animal locomotion, which is the act of self-propulsion by an animal, has many manifestations, including running, swimming, jumping and flying. Animals move for a variety of reasons, such as to find food, a mate, or a suitable microhabitat, and to escape predators...

is achieved using human limb

Limb (anatomy)

A limb is a jointed, or prehensile , appendage of the human or other animal body....

s. Different gaits are characterized by differences in limb movement patterns, overall velocity, forces, kinetic and potential energy cycles, and changes in the contact with the surface

Surface

In mathematics, specifically in topology, a surface is a two-dimensional topological manifold. The most familiar examples are those that arise as the boundaries of solid objects in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space R3 — for example, the surface of a ball...

(ground

Soil

Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...

, floor

Floor

A floor is the walking surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces using modern technology...

, etc.).

Foot strike

One variable in different gaits is – how the foot contacts the ground, specifically which part of the foot first contacts the ground.

– toe-heel: ball of foot lands first
– heel and ball land simultaneously
– heel-toe: heel of foot lands, then pronates
Foot type
Foot type refers to differences in foot structure and shape, as reflected in pronation during heel strike running.Foot type affects the reduction of impact on the foot while walking, jogging, or running...

to ball

In sprinting, gait typically features a forefoot strike, but the heel does not contact the ground.

Some researchers classify foot strikes by the initial center of pressure; this is mostly applicable to shod running (running while wearing shoes). In this classification:

a rearfoot strike (heel strike) has the initial center of pressure in the rear third of the shoe (0–33% of shoe length);
a midfoot strike is in the middle third (34–67% of shoe length);
a forefoot strike is in the front third (68–100% of shoe length).

Foot strike varies to some degree between strides, and between individuals. It varies significantly and notably between walking and running, and between wearing shoes (shod) and not wearing shoes (barefoot).

Typically, barefoot walking features heel or midfoot strike, while barefoot running

Barefoot running

Barefoot running is running while barefoot—without wearing any shoes on the feet. Running in thin-soled, flexible shoes, often called minimalist running, such as moccasins is biomechanically related to running barefoot, but alters sensory feedback from the plantar mechanoreceptors...

features midfoot or forefoot strike. Barefoot running rarely features heel strike, because the impact is painful, the human heel pad not absorbing much of the force of impact.

By contrast, 75% of runners wearing modern running shoes heel strike; running shoes being characterized by a padded sole, stiff soles and arch support, and sloping down from a more padded heel to a less padded forefoot.

The cause of this change in gait in shod running is unknown, but Liebermann notes that there is correlation between the foot-landing style and exposure to shoes. In some individuals the gait is largely unchanged – the leg position and foot position are identical in barefoot and shod running – but the wedge shape of the padding moving the point of impact back from the forefoot to the midfoot. In other cases it is conjectured that the padding of the heel softens the impact and resulting in runner modifying their gait to contact further back in the foot.

Whether this change in gait has health effects is unknown, and as of 2010 no studies exist demonstrating whether forefoot striking or heel striking is associated with higher injury rate. It is hypothesized that the impact of heel strikes is a cause of the high rates of repetitive stress injuries in shod runners, but has not been studied.

Gender differences

There are gender differences

Sex differences in humans

A sex difference is a distinction of biological and/or physiological characteristics associated with either males or females of a species. These can be of several types, including direct and indirect. Direct being the direct result of differences prescribed by the Y-chromosome, and indirect being...

in human gait: females walk with lesser step width and more pelvic movement. Gait analysis

Gait analysis

Gait analysis is the systematic study of animal locomotion, more specific as a study of human motion, using the eye and the brain of observers, augmented by instrumentation for measuring body movements, body mechanics, and the activity of the muscles. Gait analysis is used to assess, plan, and...

generally takes gender into consideration. Females walking with hip sway, and males walking with swagger in shoulder generally have more physical attractiveness

Physical attractiveness

Physical attractiveness refers to a person's physical traits which are perceived to be aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. The term often implies sexual attractiveness or desirability, but can also be distinct from the two; for example, humans may regard the young as attractive for various...

. A study by Stuart Brody of the University of the West of Scotland says female gait reflects orgasm

Orgasm

Orgasm is the peak of the plateau phase of the sexual response cycle, characterized by an intense sensation of pleasure...

ic ability. Gender differences in human gait can be explored using a demonstration created by the Biomotion Laboratory at Queen's University, Kingston, Canada. BMLWalker

Foot strike

Gender differences

See also

Further reading