Rules to limp by: joint compensation conserves limb function after peripheral nerve injury.
Locomotion persists across all manner of internal and external perturbations. The objective of this study was to identify locomotor compensation strategies in rodent models of peripheral nerve injury. We found that hip-to-toe limb length and limb angle was preferentially preserved over individual joint angles after permanent denervation of rat ankle extensor muscles. These findings promote further enquiry into the significance of limb-level function for neuromechanical control of legged locomotion.
Comparative Neuromechanics Laboratory, School of Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA 30332-0356, USA.
Jay M
JM
Bauman
Young-Hui
YH
Chang
D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005121:Extremities / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007596:Joints / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
biomechanics; locomotion; nerve injury; rodent