Considerations on the Further Goals of the Research and Overall View of the Movements of the Lower Extremities

Abstract

In Chap. 2 the movement of the total centre of gravity of the human body during walking was analysed. This provided a clear insight into the movement of the body as a whole. The external forces which act on the whole human body in the different phases of gait were also established. Some of these forces are independent of the will, e.g. gravity. The magnitude of others can be modified at will, within certain limits, e. g. the ground reaction force and the frictional resistance of the ground. Air resistance can be classed in either of these groups: though no influence can be exerted on air currents, it is possible to change the velocity of the forward movement of the body, on which the magnitude of air resistance mainly depends.