The hybrid mass-spring pendulum model of human leg swinging: stiffness in the control of cycle period.

Human leg swinging is modeled as the harmonic motion of a hybrid mass-spring pendulum. The cycle period is determined by a gravitational component and an elastic component, which is provided by the attachment of a soft-tissue/muscular spring of variable stiffness. To confirm that the stiffness of the spring changes with alterations in the inertial properties of the oscillator and that stiffness is relevant for the control of cycle period, we conducted this study in which the simple pendulum equivalent length was experimentally manipulated by adding mass to the ankle of a comfortably swinging leg. Twenty-four young, healthy adults were videotaped as they swung their right leg under four conditions: no added mass and with masses of 2.27, 4.55, and 6.82kg added to the ankle. Strong, linear relationships between the acceleration and displacement of the swinging leg within subjects and conditions were found, confirming the motion's harmonic nature. Cycle period significantly increased with the added mass. However, the observed increases were not as large as would be predicted by the induced changes in the gravitational component alone. These differences were interpreted as being due to increases in the active muscular stiffness. Significant linear increases in the elastic component (and hence stiffness) were demonstrated with increases in the simple pendulum equivalent length in 20 of the individual subjects, with r2 values ranging between 0.89 and 0.99. Significant linear relationships were also demonstrated between the elastic and gravitational components in 22 subjects, with individual r2 values between 0.90 and 0.99.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)