Gait

Question 1

Gait

Answer 1

Repeating cycle of movement to move animal from A to B

Question 2

How can gaits be described?

Answer 2

In terms of their kinematics and kinetics

Question 3

Factors important in describing gait

Answer 3

-speed
-symmetry
-duty factor

Question 4

Kinematics

Answer 4

What can be seen in the gait - stride length etc.

Question 5

Kinetics

Answer 5

Forces involved in movement

Question 6

Describing the movement of an object or body

Answer 6

-how far?
-how fast?
-type of movement
-acceleration, changes in direction, angles etc.

Question 7

Describing movement specific to gait

Answer 7

-stride
-stride time
-stride length
-stride frequency
-stance phase
-duty factor
-swing phase

Question 8

Stride

Answer 8

The complete cycle of the movement from the contact of a specific foot to the next contact of the same foot

Question 9

Stride time

Answer 9

The time taken for a complete stride

Question 10

Stride length

Answer 10

The distance travelled during one complete stride

Question 11

Stride frequency

Answer 11

The number of strides per second

Question 12

Stance phase

Answer 12

The portion of the stride for which a foot is in contact with the ground

Question 13

Duty factor

Answer 13

Stance phase as a proportion of stride time

Question 14

Swing phase

Answer 14

The portion of the stride for which a foot is not in contact with the ground

Question 15

Ground reaction force (GRF)

Answer 15

The force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it (Newtons 3rd law)
-these forces act in 3 dimensions
-potentially damaging forces on the musculoskeletal tissues
-force is a potential limit to maximum speed

Question 16

Walk

Answer 16

Used at slow speeds
-symmetrical gait
-4 beat
-low metabolic cost at preferred speed
-lower ground reaction forces
-vertical force trace is ‘M’ shaped

Question 17

Walk

Answer 17

-overloading support phases
-duty factor >0.5
-no aerial phase
-sometimes 3 or more limbs on the ground at one time

Question 18

Trot

Answer 18

-equivalent to bipedal run
-symmetrical gait - loss of symmetry could indicate problem
-2 beat
-contralateral fore- and hindlimb pairs
-aerial phase between diagonal pars - duty factor <0.5
-ground reaction forces resemble other running gaits
-higher forces than in walk

Question 19

Pace

Answer 19

-2 beat, symmetrical gait
-ipsilateral force- and hindlimb pairs
-less vertical movement than in trot
-greater roll
-front and hind legs on the same side move forward simultaneously

Question 20

Canter -and gallop

Answer 20

-asymmetric
-rarely distinguish between canter and gallop in species other than horses
-high GRFs

Question 21

Canter

Answer 21

-slow speed, 3 beat gait

Question 22

Gallop

Answer 22

-high speed, 4 beat gait

Question 23

Canter

Answer 23

-asymmetric, 3-beat, leaping gait
-transverse sequence of limb placements
-single aerial phase
-stance phases of diagonal limb pair (LH and NLF) are synchronised
-each pair of limbs has a lead limb and non lead limb

Question 24

Leading and non leading limbs

Answer 24

NLH (non-lead hind)
LH (lead hind)
NLF (non-lead fore)
LF (lead fore)

Question 25

Gallop

Answer 25

-used by quadrupeds at maximum speed -4-beat, asymmetric -2 types of gallop: rotary and transverse

Question 26

Transverse gallop

Answer 26

-forelimbs follow the same sequence as the hind limbs -1st hindlimb to contact the ground and first forelimb to contact the ground are ipsilateral -single ‘gathered’ aerial phase between last forelimb contact first hindlimb strike -horses favour transverse gallop

Question 27

Rotary gallop

Answer 27

-sequence of forelimb pair is the reverse of that of the hind limbs -first hindlimb to contact and first forelimb to contact are contralateral -additional ‘extended’ aerial phase after the second hindlimb take-off -thought to make greater use of the elastic structures in the spine species such as cheetah and greyhound

Question 28

Trot and pace diagram

Question 29

Transverse and rotary gallop diagram

Answer 29

Question 30

Tolt

Answer 30

-4 beat, lateral ambling gait -same footfall pattern as 25% walk -greater speed range