ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6517-6071

Keywords

Entrainment, Biomechanics, Balance, Stability, Kinematics, Gait

Abstract

Falls pose a significant risk across all ages, leading to injury and loss of independence. Understanding gait adaptation to external perturbations provides insights into balance control and muscle activation, with implications for rehabilitation and fall prevention. While entrainment, the synchronization of biological rhythms to external stimuli, has been widely studied using auditory and visual cues, its effects in response to mechanical perturbations remain unclear. This study examines how young, healthy adults adapt to discrete mediolateral perturbations and whether entrainment occurs when mediolateral perturbations are applied at set timings determined by their natural stride period.

Participants walked on a self-paced treadmill while experiencing discrete mediolateral perturbations (0.03 m) at set timings: their preferred stride period, ±10%, and ±20%. Step kinematics, including step length, step width, stride time, and walking speed, were analyzed, along with electromyography (EMG) root mean square (RMS) curves to assess average muscle activation.

Step width variability was the only kinematic measure that showed significant differences in response to perturbations, but this effect was observed in only two of the five conditions, suggesting selective lateral control adjustments. No significant differences were found in step length, stride time, or walking speed. Similarly, EMG analyses revealed no significant changes in muscle activation across conditions, indicating that perturbations did not elicit measurable entrainment effects.

These findings suggest that young, healthy adults prioritize stabilizing step width variability over other gait parameters when responding to mediolateral perturbations. Despite frequent perturbations applied at set timings determined by their natural stride period, entrainment-like effects did not manifest in muscle activation or balance metrics. Further research is needed to explore whether prolonged exposure or different perturbation magnitudes could induce entrainment-like adaptations.

Completion Date

2025

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Huang, Helen

Degree

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Identifier

DP0029378

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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