Unveiling human biomechanics: insights into lower limb responses to disturbances that can trigger a fall

Abstract

Introduction: Slip-related falls are a significant concern, particularly for vulnerable populations such as the elderly and individuals with gait disorders, necessitating effective preventive measures. This manuscript presents a biomechanical study of how the lower limbs react to perturbations that can trigger a slip-like fall, with the ultimate goal of identifying target specifications for developing a wearable robotic system for slip-like fall prevention. Methods: Our analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the natural human biomechanical response to slip perturbations in both slipping and trailing legs, by innovatively collecting parameters from both the sagittal and frontal plane since both play pivotal roles in maintaining stability and preventing falls and thus provide new insights to fall prevention. We investigated various external factors, including gait speed, surface inclination, slipping foot, and perturbation intensity, while collecting diverse data sets encompassing kinematic, spatiotemporal parameters, electromyographic data, as well as torque, range of motion, rotations per minute, detection, and actuation times. Results: The biomechanical response to slip-like perturbations by the hips, knees, and ankles of the slipping leg was characterized by extension, flexion, and plantarflexion moments, respectively. In the trailing leg, responses included hip flexion, knee extension, and ankle plantarflexion. Additionally, these responses were influenced by gait speed, surface inclination, and perturbation intensity. Our study identified target range of motion parameters of 85.19°, 106.34°, and 95.23° for the hips, knees, and ankles, respectively. Furthermore, rotations per minute values ranged from 17.85 to 51.10 for the hip, 21.73 to 63.80 for the knee, and 17.52 to 57.14 for the ankle joints. Finally, flexion/extension torque values were estimated as −3.05 to 3.22 Nm/kg for the hip, −1.70 to 2.34 Nm/kg for the knee, and −2.21 to 0.90 Nm/kg for the ankle joints. Discussion: This study contributes valuable insights into the biomechanical aspects of slip-like fall prevention and informs the development of wearable robotic systems to enhance safety in vulnerable populations.