When we are touched on the skin, sensory receptors in that location fire and send a signal via nerves to the brain, but this is not enough to let us know where on our body the touch occurred. To decipher where the touch is on the body, the brain needs […]
Similar to a pencil balanced on a finger tip, the standing human body is inherently unstable (Loram & Lakie, 2002). The vertical projection of the body’s center of mass passes in front of the ankle when we stand, which means active plantar flexion of the ankle is required to maintain […]
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful condition that can substantially interfere with peoples’ daily activities. It will affect one in two people over their lifetime and is more likely in people who are overweight (Murphy et al., 2008). In light of the existing literature regarding joint function in people with […]
Up to one in three people over 65 fall each year (Masud & Morris, 2001) and many older people have impaired dynamic stability. However, a cause and effect relationship between gait speed, step variability, dynamic stability, and falls is complex. For example, older people may walk more slowly to compensate […]
