Muscle activation and gait: EMG studies that differentiate!

image credit: Cappellini G, Ivanenko YP, Poppele RE, Lacquaniti F. Motor patterns in human walking and running. J Neurophysiol. 2006 Jun;95(6):3426-37. Epub 2006 Mar 22.

Got Muscle activation? Looking for some EMG data on what fires when in walking vs running gait? The conclusion and point of the study are good, but the EMG data and diagrams are awesome for those of you seeking a greater understanding of what goes on when

“The major difference between walking and running was that one temporal component, occurring during stance, was shifted to an earlier phase in the step cycle during running. These muscle activation differences between gaits did not simply depend on locomotion speed as shown by recordings during each gait over the same range of speeds (5–9 km/h). The results are consistent with an organization of locomotion motor programs having two parts, one that organizes muscle activation during swing and another during stance and the transition to swing. The timing shift between walking and running reflects therefore the difference in the relative duration of the stance phase in the two gaits.”

A great read and FREE FULL TEXT

Dr Ivo, one of The Gait Guys

Cappellini G, Ivanenko YP, Poppele RE, Lacquaniti F. Motor patterns in human walking and running. J Neurophysiol. 2006 Jun;95(6):3426-37. Epub 2006 Mar 22. link to free full text: http://jn.physiology.org/content/95/6/3426

#gait, #gaitanalysis, #thegaitguys, #gaitabnormality, #EMGgait, #muscleactivation, #musclerecruitmentpattern