EM282: WEBINAR: Biomechanical Requirements for Functional Movement Efficiency: understanding human locomotion

Human movement is the result of a complex interaction of muscle forces, joint movements and neuromotor commands. The interaction between muscle activity and whole body mechanics is extremely variable and complex to allow direct control without the mediation of a kinematic representation. Neural circuits can somehow support the specific movement of the limbs and give rise to appropriate, subordinate and flexible muscle synergies to adapt to the real mechanical constraints.
The main function of locomotion muscles is to generate and absorb energy, but this function is largely ignored in neurophysiological research. The body has the ability to transfer energy between segments through joint centers and can store and recover energy in the passive resilience of tissues, tendons and muscles. It has been estimated that during walking, total energy consumption (of all body segments during the gait cycle) is determined by active muscle generation and absorption only for 33%, while the remaining 67% is more connected to passive transfers of energy between the various segments. In fact, the central nervous system has specialized in creating motor patterns to conserve much of the energy generated in the previous phases of the gait cycle.
The purpose of this webinar is to explore how evidence related to mechanical and metabolic energy expenditure during locomotion can be used to monitor the ability of the CNS to exploit energy conservation mechanisms to achieve more efficient movement and functional outcomes.