A STUDY OF MOMENTS ACTING ON THE TIBIA DURING GAIT IN THE ACTIVE ELDERLY POPULATION

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the moment acting on three points of the tibia, in order to better understand the loads acting on the shank during gait for the active elderly population. Ten subjects were investigated and walking was chosen as the movement to be studied, since it is a highly common activity in terms of exercising and it is available as a universal solution to improve the quality of life. The data was collected in a motion study laboratory, and inverse dynamics was used to estimate the forces and moments in the joints. An advanced human model was used in this purpose. The results show that in this population, the highest bending moment in the sagittal plane is during late stance phase. It is possible to correlate this data with people with gait disabilities or with implants for bone fixation and help their recovery.