Ashley Collimore, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate
Propulsion Timing and Walking Function
Project Background
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While measures of neuromuscular control inform of an individual’s strategies and capabilities, biomechanical outputs reveal the walking patterns produced by these control strategies. As a result, there may be some biomechanical outcomes that are informative of neuromuscular control and can be directly targeted during training to promote rehabilitation. Based on prior knowledge that plantarflexor
activation timing is often impaired in post-stroke individuals and leads to altered muscle synergies, even in those with the same number of modules as healthy controls, our group has hypothesized that propulsion timing may be more related to neuromotor control and impaired walking function than pure force generating ability. As a preliminary step to answering this question, our group investigated the impact of propulsion timing on long-distance walking function, measured by the six-minute walk test.
Results​
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In our preliminary analyses, we have shown that the relationship between both peak propulsion and propulsion impulse and walking endurance are moderated by peak propulsion timing. That is, post-stroke individuals with earlier peak propulsion timing and higher paretic propulsion magnitude, tend to walk farther distances. These results suggest that both peak propulsion magnitude and timing need to be targeted to maximize walking recovery.
Check out our poster for full results!
Publications
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1. Alvarez AM, Collimore AN, Aiello AJM, Binder-Macleod SA, Awad LN. Propulsion timing affects the relationship between paretic propulsion and long-distance walking function after stroke. (POSTER) American Society of Biomechanics Annual Meeting. Atlanta, GA. 2020.View the poster.