Use of Musculoskeletal Modeling to Examine Lower Limb Muscle Contribution to Gait Balance Control: Effects of Overweight

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the contributions of lower limb muscles to the whole-body center of mass (COM) acceleration during walking in overweight adults. Simulations of the weight transfer phase of walking for five overweight and five non-overweight adults were analyzed using a musculoskeletal model. Compared to non-overweight adults, overweight adults revealed greater gastrocnemius contributions to the mediolateral COM accelerations, which may be linked to an elevated risk of gait imbalance.