Analysis of Foot Placement in Gait with Constant Lateral Disturbance

The study of gait stability has sought to understand the fundamental mechanisms that lead us to recover from a disturbance, whether constant or not. Correct foot placement has been identified as one of the main strategies used to maintain and recover balance during gait. In this study, we evaluated the foot placement estimator (FPE) as a measure of stability when applying a constant disturbance to the gait of young people on a treadmill. The results showed that individuals decreased stride width in response to disturbance and this reflected in greater instability in foot positioning, especially in the contralateral foot. This study demonstrated the usefulness of the stability measure derived from the FPE in gait stability studies, especially in disturbed gait.