Basic
Human
Motion
Walking is a series of rhythmical efficient movements which result in the forward progression of the center of mass. *
“Walking is essentially the act of continually falling forward and catching oneself.”
The goal of walking is an efficient gait that is a smooth progression of the center of mass with minimal displacement in any plane during the gait cycle.
It is important to remember that each person displays variations from the "normal" pattern of walking.
Walking & Center of Mass
What is Walking?
In the average human
the center of mass is located
just anterior to the 2nd sacral segment
* The center of mass is the point that describes the centralized point of a bodies mass.
It is the point where all of the mass of an object is concentrated.
In the human body the center of mass is located at the same point as the center of gravity because gravitational forces are proportional to the mass of the body and act uniformly over the entire body.
When referring to the human body it is acceptable to use center of mass and center of gravity interchangeably.