The Journal of Neurophysiology Vol. 84 No. 2 August 2000, pp. 605-615
Copyright ©2000 by the American Physiological Society

Form Switching During Human Locomotion: Traversing Wedges in a Single Step

 ¹Movement Science Program,  ²Program in Physical Therapy, and  ³Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63108

Earhart, Gammon M. and Amy J. Bastian. Form Switching During Human Locomotion: Traversing Wedges in a Single Step. J. Neurophysiol. 84: 605-615, 2000. We examined the neural control strategies used to accommodate discrete alterations in walking surface inclination. Normal subjects were tested walking on a level surface and on different wedges (10°, 15°, 20°, and 30°) presented in the context of level walking. On a given trial, a subject walked on a level surface in approach to a wedge, took a single step on the wedge, and continued walking on an elevated level surface beyond the wedge. As wedge inclination increased, subjects linearly increased peak joint angles. Changes in timing of peak joint angles and electromyograms were not linear. Subjects used two distinct temporal strategies, or forms, to traverse the wedges. One form was used for walking on a level surface and on the 10° wedge, another form for walking on the 20° and 30° wedges. In the level/10° form, peak hip flexion occurred well before heel strike (HS) and peak dorsiflexion occurred in late stance. In the 20°/30° form, peak hip flexion was delayed by 12% of the stride cycle and peak dorsiflexion was reached 12% earlier. For the level/10° form, onsets of the rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, and vastus lateralis muscles were well before HS and offset of the anterior tibialis was at HS. For the 20°/30° form, onsets of the rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, and vastus lateralis and offset of the anterior tibialis were all delayed by 12% of the stride cycle. Muscles shifted as a group, rather than individually, between the forms. Subjects traversing a 15° wedge switched back and forth between the two forms in consecutive trials, suggesting the presence of a transition zone. Differences between the forms can be explained by the differing biomechanical constraints imposed by the wedges. Steeper wedges necessitate changes in limb orientation to accommodate the surface, altering limb orientation with respect to gravity and making it necessary to pull the body forward over the foot. The use of different forms of behavior is a common theme in neural control and represents an efficient means of coordinating and adapting movement to meet changing environmental demands. The forms of locomotion reported here are likely used on a regular basis in real-world settings.