Effects of Varying Overground Walking Speeds on Lower-Extremity Muscle Synergies in Healthy Individuals

in Motor Control

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Manuel J. Escalona Université de Montréal
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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Daniel Bourbonnais Université de Montréal
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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Michel Goyette Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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Damien Le Flem Université de Montréal
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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Cyril Duclos Université de Montréal
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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Dany H. Gagnon Université de Montréal
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/mc.2020-0008
Keywords:
electromyography; gait; locomotion; movement; modular control; non-negative matrix factorization
First Published Online:
27 Jan 2021
In Print:
Volume 25: Issue 2
Page Range:
234–251
Restricted access

The effects of walking speeds on lower-extremity muscle synergies (MSs) were investigated among 20 adults who walked 20 m at SLOW (0.6 ± 0.2 m/s), natural (NAT; 1.4 ± 0.1 m/s), and FAST (1.9 ± 0.1 m/s) speeds. Surface electromyography of eight lower-extremity muscles was recorded before extracting MSs using a nonnegative matrix factorization algorithm. Increasing walking speed tended to merge MSs associated with weight acceptance and limb deceleration, whereas reducing walking speed does not change the number and composition of MSs. Varying gait speed, particularly decreasing speed, may represent a gait training strategy needing additional attention given its effects on MSs.

Escalona, Bourbonnais, Le Flem, Duclos, and Gagnon are with the School of Rehabilitation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Escalona, Bourbonnais, Goyette, Le Flem, Duclos, and Gagnon are with the Pathokinesiology Laboratory, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Institut universitaire sur la réadaptation en déficience physique de Montréal, CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Ⓘle-de-Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Gagnon (dany.gagnon.2@umontreal.ca) is corresponding author.
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