Abstract
It remains unclear why humans spontaneously shift from walking to running at a certain point during locomotion at gradually increasing velocity. We show that a calculated walk-to-run transition stride frequency (70.6 ± 3.2 strides min−1) agrees with a transition stride frequency (70.8 ± 3.1 strides min−1) predicted from the two stride frequencies applied during treadmill walking and running at freely chosen velocities and freely chosen stride frequencies. The agreement is based on Bland and Altman’s statistics. We found no essential mean relative difference between the two transition frequencies, i.e. −0.5% ± 4.2%, as well as limits of agreement of −8.7% and 7.7%. The particular two freely chosen stride frequencies used for prediction are considered behavioural attractors. Gait is predicted to be shifted from walking to running when the stride frequency starts getting closer to the running attractor than to the walking attractor. In particular, previous research has focussed on transition velocity and optimisation theories based on minimisation of, e.g., energy turnover or biomechanical loadings of the legs. Conversely, our data support that the central phenomenon of walk-to-run transition during human locomotion could be influenced by behavioural attractors in the form of stride frequencies spontaneously occurring during behaviourally unrestricted gait conditions of walking and running.
Highlights
A better understanding of the control of bipedal locomotion can contribute to the development of programs for the enhancement of human function and performance
If these behavioural attractors significantly affect the gait transition from walking to running, the transition could hypothetically be predicted to occur at a point where the applied stride frequency during walking at increasing velocity starts to get closer to the attractor for running than to the attractor for walking
The calculated transition stride frequency was determined based on the individual walk-to-run transition velocity and the individual equation of the linear regression between velocity and stride frequency during walking
Summary
A better understanding of the control of bipedal locomotion can contribute to the development of programs for the enhancement of human function and performance. Knowledge on adaptations to changes in velocity during locomotion is of importance in regard to the basic understanding of the underlying control of locomotion In this relation, the walk-to-run transition constitutes a central aspect of locomotion. We considered the stride frequencies during unrestricted walking and running at freely chosen velocity and freely chosen stride frequency to constitute two influential behavioural attractors. If these behavioural attractors significantly affect the gait transition from walking to running, the transition could hypothetically be predicted to occur at a point where the applied stride frequency during walking at increasing velocity starts to get closer to the attractor for running than to the attractor for walking. The link between the stride frequencies during walking and running, the motor control, and the two behavioural attractors described above is that to a substantial degree, the latter apparently represents basic frequency outputs from the CPGs
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