walking


The ageing foot: how does skin feedback change as we grow old?

Historically, research on skin’s role in postural stability has focused on the sole of the foot, as this area is in contact with the ground as we stand and move. Special receptors from the sole of the foot provide information about contact pressure and slips of the foot (Kennedy & […]


Interview: Prof Andrew Creswell talks about the intrinsic muscles of the foot

Little is known about the small intrinsic foot muscles and their function during walking and running. In this video, Prof Andrew Creswell of the University of Queensland talks about the results of his research in which he has utilized imaging ultrasound and intramuscular electromyography to study the role of intrinsic […]


Interview: Prof Nicholas Taylor on strength training and mobility in young people with cerebral palsy

In young people with cerebral palsy, strength training increases the forces that their muscles produce. But does that mean that strength training helps young people with cerebral palsy walk better? Professor Nicholas Taylor talks about strength training and mobility in young people with cerebral palsy.      


Sensorimotor and cognitive factors associated with walking adaptability: novel perspectives for fall prevention in older people 2

Negotiating unexpected obstacles, such as cracks in pavement, requires successful adaptation of our walking pattern to guarantee stability and to avoid falling. Poor walking performance might contribute to tripping, which is frequently reported as a cause of falls in older people (Lord et al. 1993). We have devised a test […]


Interview: Professor Simon Gandevia talks about Motor Impairment

Ahead of the second annual Motor Impairment meeting, Simon Gandevia, Deputy Director of Neuroscience Research Australia, talks about Motor Impairment; what it is and what he and his colleagues at NeuRA are investigating as part of the NHMRC-funded program grant.    


Thinking while walking: a challenge to balance control in ageing

Previous research had shown that when people are required to simultaneously perform a cognitive and balance task their performance is worsened in one or both tasks, and that this interference is even more marked in people with reduced sensorimotor and/or cognitive functioning due to age and disease [1-2]. Interestingly, it […]


The effects of fatigue on reaction time in people with multiple sclerosis

People with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) often report fatigue and reduced capacity for walking as some of their most disabling symptoms (1-3). Indeed, fatigue is often reported after relatively short bouts of walking. However, the functional consequences of this fatigue are not well known. We were interested in how walking might […]


Older people really do have ‘jerkier’ movements

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 […]

Accelerometers used to measure head jerk.