Posture, Gait, & Integrated Biomechanics

Leonardo Da Vinci once remarked that in addition to being a work of art, the human body is a marvel of engineering. Da Vinci’s statement is particularly true when it comes to the anatomical structures necessary to allow for bipedality since walking on two legs presents an engineering conundrum. During the gait cycle our lower extremities must be supple enough to absorb shock and accommodate for changes in terrain as well as become rigid enough to tolerate the forces of acceleration during propulsion off the ground. This is in contrast to quadrupeds, who have the luxury of being able to absorb shock with their forelimbs while their hind limbs are used for support and acceleration like a pouncing house cat for example. The human body can accomplish these contradictory functions through a series of complex articular interactions that allow the same anatomical structure to behave differently during the early and later phases of gait. In this way, gait is not owned by the feet as many woul…