Human Locomotion Studies - The Actions of Several Muscles

Abstract

Two sets of tests were run on six normal male subjects which involved walking at various speeds in one case and at various pace periods and a fixed speed in the other case. Each subject had indwelling wire electrodes placed in 4 major leg muscles from which E.M.G. signals were taken. Contacts were taped to the heel and toe regions of his shoe and he walked on a conducting walkway so that the heel strike and toe-off points in the walk cycle could be accurately recorded.

A computer programme was used to obtain an average walk period and an average E.M.G. complex for each run which had from 4 to 14 steps. The E.M.G. waveforms were analyzed for muscle "on" times and average amplitude values and these parameters were plotted against speed and pace period.