Whole Body Movement: Coordination of Arms and Legs in Walking and Running

As Winter et al. so aptly pointed out in Chapter 33, the upper body has not received as much attention as the lower body in locomotion research. It is as if the arms and trunk were not important in the overall picture of gait. A few researchers, however, have wondered why the arms are swung as they are. Do the arms passively react to movements of the shoulders, or are the arms under muscular control? Do the arms serve any useful purpose other than helping to maintain one’s balance? This chapter reviews the literature in the area of upper extremity function in locomotion and its relationship to that of the lower extremities. This review is divided into two parts: first, those studies dealing with walking, and second, those dealing with running. The chapter ends with a discussion of current research and future directions in this area of study.