Neuromechanics

Effects of Ankle Range of Motion on Gait Biomechanics

Movement at the ankle joint serves several purposes during unimpaired locomotion, including stabilization and propulsion. While the healthy ankle can achieve 71° range of plantar/dorsiflexion, only about 30° is used in level-ground walking. Little is known about how gait is affected by isolated limitation of ankle range of motion using endrange hard stops. To study this, we developed a simple exoskeleton that restricts ankle range of motion and evaluated the impact of this exoskeleton during level-ground treadmill walking at two speeds in ten young adults with no ankle pathology. Analyses were performed to look at hard stop contact time and its impact on gait kinematics and dynamics, with a focus on kinematic symmetry and joint work.

• Project Lead: Michael Rose
• Project Team: Will Flanagan, Brandon Peterson, Paige Steffler, Brandon Tran, Evan Chang, Nadine Hassanieh, Niki Krockenberger, Lisa Su, Rachel Gehlhar Humann (alumna)