Extraction of basic movement from whole-body movement, based on gait variability

The aim of this study was to quantify the step-to-step variability (SSV) in speed-variant and speed-invariant movement components of the whole-body gait pattern during running. These separate aspects of variability can be used to gain insight into the neuromuscular control strategies that are engaged during running. Ten healthy, physically active, male recreational athletes performed five treadmill running trials at five different speeds (range: 1.3–4.9 m/sec). The whole-body movement was separated into principal movements (PM) using a principal component analysis. The PMs were split into two groups: a speed-variant group, where the range of motion (amplitude of PMs) changed with running speed; and a speed-invariant group, where the range of motion was constant across various speeds. The step-to-step variability (SSV) of the two groups was then quantified. The absolute SSV was the summed variability across all gait cycles, whereas the relative SSV was the summed variability divided by the magnitude of the movement. The absolute SSV of the speed-variant movements increased with running speed. By contrast, the relative SSV of the speed-variant group (as normalized to the PM amplitude) decreased asymptotically toward a minimal level as running speed increased. Both the absolute and relative SSV of the speed-invariant movements revealed a minimum at 3.1 m/sec. The whole-body gait pattern during running can be subdivided into speed-variant and speed-invariant movements. An interpretation of the SSV based on minimal intervention theory suggests that speed-variant movements are more tightly controlled, as evidenced by a lower degree of variability compared to the speed-invariant movements.