Equilibrium (the ability to assume an upright posture and maintain balance)
-Antigravity support is provided by antigravity and postural reflexes in the spinal cord and brain stem
that are responsible for maintaining full extension of hips, knees, and neck.
Locomotion (the ability to initiate and maintain rhythmic stepping—through propulsion and stepping)
-Propulsion involves leaning forward and slightly to one side. This permits the body to fall at a certain
distance before being checked by the leg support.
-Stepping is a basic pattern of movement based on sensory input from the soles and body that is then
integrated in the midbrain and diencephalus.
Both equilibrium and locomotion require proper and coordinated function of the musculoskeletal and
nervous systems. Equilibrium maintains center of gravity and balance during the shifting of weight from
one foot to the other. This is very important, since during walking the center of gravity remains outside
the base of support 80% of the time. To compensate, the body uses reactive and proactive adjustments. The reactive ones deal with unpredictable upsets of balance and thus depend on sensory input (proprioceptive, vestibular, auditory, and visual). Proactive adjustments counteract instead perturbations caused by gait movements per se and thus rely on vision to predict potential causes of disequilibrium and implement appropriate avoidance strategies.
-Antigravity support is provided by antigravity and postural reflexes in the spinal cord and brain stem
that are responsible for maintaining full extension of hips, knees, and neck.
Locomotion (the ability to initiate and maintain rhythmic stepping—through propulsion and stepping)
-Propulsion involves leaning forward and slightly to one side. This permits the body to fall at a certain
distance before being checked by the leg support.
-Stepping is a basic pattern of movement based on sensory input from the soles and body that is then
integrated in the midbrain and diencephalus.
Both equilibrium and locomotion require proper and coordinated function of the musculoskeletal and
nervous systems. Equilibrium maintains center of gravity and balance during the shifting of weight from
one foot to the other. This is very important, since during walking the center of gravity remains outside
the base of support 80% of the time. To compensate, the body uses reactive and proactive adjustments. The reactive ones deal with unpredictable upsets of balance and thus depend on sensory input (proprioceptive, vestibular, auditory, and visual). Proactive adjustments counteract instead perturbations caused by gait movements per se and thus rely on vision to predict potential causes of disequilibrium and implement appropriate avoidance strategies.