Humans

When adult humans walk, they make initial contact with their heel (heel strike) and then the center of pressure rolls from under the heel to under the big toe at push-off. Heel strike and this heel-to-toe roll-over develops gradually throughout ontogeny. My research has examined the development of foot posture, impact transients (high vertical forces) at touchdown, the path of the COP, and gearing at the ankle in children and adults. In addition, I have looked at how pathology (foot pain and total ankle replacements) affect pedal mechanics in adults.

Future work will investigate the role of the heel pad in the effective foot mass and energy exchange during walking in children.