Fractal Analysis of Human Walking Rhythm

Under healthy conditions, the complex, multilevel locomotor system does a remarkable job of controlling an inherently unstable, multijoint system. During walking, the kinetics, kinematics and muscular activity of gait appear to remain relatively unchanged from one step to the next (Winter 1984; Patla 1985; Kadaba et al. 1989; Pailhous and Bonnard 1992). However, closer examination reveals small fluctuations in the gait pattern, even under stationary conditions (Gabell and Nayak 1984; Yamasaki, Sasaki and Torri 1991; Pailhous and Bonnard 1992). The goal of this chapter is to analyze these subtle step-to-step fluctuations in gait, specifically the duration of the gait cycle, in order to gain insight into the neural control of locomotion. Ultimately, this analysis should improve our understanding of the organization, regulation, and interactions of the entire locomotor system and might also prove clinically useful in the diagnosis and prognosis of gait disorders.

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